Janet Daby, MP for Lewisham East, visited Corbett Community Library on Saturday 23rd October to celebrate its role as a thriving hub for literacy, digital inclusion, and community life.
The volunteer-led library, which welcomes more than 5,500 visitors each month, provides vital face-to-face services and hosts a wide range of regular activities, events, and workshops, from children’s story times and Homework Club, book groups, and wellness sessions.
During her visit, Janet Daby MP praised the volunteers and residents who keep the library thriving:
“Corbett Community Library is a shining example of what can be achieved when local people come together to support and improve their community. From providing a welcoming place for residents to meet, to encouraging children to read and write, and ensuring vital digital access for those who need it, the volunteers here are making a real difference.
I was delighted to visit and to support their efforts to keep this wonderful service thriving for years to come.”
The library has become a lifeline for many residents who rely on its digital support services, including help accessing online forms, job applications, and essential services. The affordable space hire also makes it possible for grassroots organisations, local creatives, and small groups to deliver workshops and events, ensuring the library continues to reflect the needs and interests of the community it serves.
Looking ahead, Corbett Community Library is committed to strengthening its role as a beacon of local resilience. With plans to expand its outreach programmes and develop new partnerships, the library aims to offer even more opportunities for learning, wellbeing, and social connection. Volunteers and residents are at the heart of this vision, demonstrating the power of community-led action in shaping positive futures. They are also imminently expanding their guest PC and study area thanks to confirmation of local funding.
Corbett Community Library is part of a growing national movement of community-led libraries. Chris Neath, Network Manager for the Community Libraries Network, described the library as a flagship of this movement: “Corbett Community Library is a leading example of the bold, people-powered approach that is reimagining libraries across the country.
“Community libraries are no longer quiet corners of the past, they are vibrant hubs of connection, learning, and action, rooted in local leadership and designed to meet the needs of future generations”