Staffordshire’s award-winning Community Managed Libraries are celebrating 10 years of success.
The celebration coincides with National Volunteers Week, which recognises the contributions volunteers make in local communities right across the country.
After a decade of development, Staffordshire County Council’s network of 27 CMLs is one of the most highly regarded in the country.
Two have received the Queen’s or King’s Award for Voluntary Service, some have unlocked hundreds of thousands of pounds of funding unavailable to local authorities, while others have provided volunteers with a launchpad to find work or further their studies.
Hayley Coles, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“Our community managed libraries were not the first of their kind, nor is our network the largest, but the innovation and diversification they bring, coupled with the support we provide, make this an outstanding programme.
“As well as providing the core service, these groups have the flexibility to provide a base for services that meet the needs of their communities, whether that’s community taxis and befriending services, or hosting police surgeries and health clinics.
“With the number of visitors to CMLs to pass 4,000,000 this summer, we know that they’re performing a valuable function.”
Vital to the success of the CML approach is the commitment made by volunteers.
Staffordshire libraries have over 700 volunteers doing IT support, Baby Bounce and Rhyme and delivering our community managed libraries. In 2025, Staffordshire volunteers contributed more than 95,000 hours of their time, which, using Government calculations, equates to a value of more than £1,28 million.
Hayley added:
“Volunteers come forward to support their libraries for a variety of reasons, but we are always grateful for their enthusiasm, commitment and the breadth of experience they bring to their roles. I’d like to say a huge thanks to all our library volunteers.”
CMLs are delivered by a range of voluntary and community organisations and a unique partnership with the local NHS Community Provider, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) who support nine CMLs in the South of the County. The partnership and volunteers also won the prestigious national Health Service Journal (HSJ) Award in 2019.
Neil Carr OBE, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for MPFT, said:
“I remember with great pride the opening ceremony of Holmcroft Community Managed Library in June 2016.
“I’m genuinely thrilled that with the vision of the County Council and the amazing commitment and dedication of the local volunteers we have seen all of the CMLs we support go from strength to strength in delivering the library offer and in particular supporting the health and wellbeing of their local communities.”
The first tranche of CMLs launched in 2016, operating alongside the 16 larger libraries still directly run by Staffordshire County Council.
While the management group oversees the day-to-day running of the library, the county council provides practical support such as covering agreed costs, underwriting building maintenance, providing Wi-Fi and book stock, so management groups can focus on delivering what their communities want, with the help of a dedicated council support officer.
Werrington Community Library and Wellbeing Centre received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2018, while Shenstone won the King’s Award last year
Norton Canes and Rising Brook CML received the Community Hub Award at the national Community Managed Library Network Annual Awards 2024 for delivering a diverse range of services to the local community beyond the traditional library offer.
