X
St John Guernsey LBG, the Charity, has announced the impending closure of its Community Library Service which will take place on 20th May 2025. The St John Community Library, which specialises in large print books, was first established in 1949 initially operating from the homes of volunteers and then a small hut at the St John headquarters before moving to its current home adjacent to the St John training hall.
The library was originally established to provide books for sick and wounded servicemen in hospital and while the service has evolved over time, it always stayed true to its motto ‘to every patient the book he wants’ and in 2014 it won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
In their efforts to identify the current needs of the local community, the St John Guernsey Charity realised that it may no longer be best placed to continue offering this service. Chief Executive Officer, Heather Langlois, said ‘In our community there are over 650 charities all vying for the same funding and volunteers. This fact alone encouraged us to explore areas within our own organisation where we could make efficiencies that would ensure a more impactful and accessible service for users while also removing any duplication of service within the charitable sector.’
‘This period of exploration resulted in a new relationship with the Guille-Allès Library for which we are extremely grateful. After many conversations we have decided that the Guille-Allès Library, an organisation committed to enriching lives and boosting wellbeing throughout the community, is best placed to continue providing this service. Their knowledge, experience, and infrastructure, coupled with their preexisting collection of large print books, will ensure that this service continues to be delivered in a way that meets the changing needs of our community. This will also allow the St John Guernsey Charity to continue to grow its youth programme, first aid in school programme and train even more first aid volunteers for community events.’
Over the next few months, the St John Guernsey Charity will work with their library members helping them to transition to the Guille-Allès Library while simultaneously working with volunteers to help them do the same. The St John Charity’s collection of books will be made available to their library members to keep as a way of ensuring they have a wide selection of reading material to carry them through this transition period, whilst also helping to keep the memory of the St John Library alive. The St John Guernsey Charity would like to thank every volunteer who has given their time to the library over the years for without them, the library would not have touched the lives of so many in our community.
Media enquiries should be addressed to Heather Langlois, CEO, St John Guernsey Charity. heather.langlois@stjohn.gg
