Leeds’s newest Little Free Library and the first in Belle Isle was unveiled at East Grange Square this afternoon (23 November 2023).
Staff from Octavia House and Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation (BITMO) joined residents to toast the project which was a partnership between the two organisations.
Cllr Wayne Dixon (SDP, Middleton Park) commented:
“Last November I met with Community Links and BITMO to discuss Octavia House’s idea to provide a Little Library to the community on East Grange Square.
“It’s fantastic to see it finally come to fruition with local children using the books already. I hope local people will embrace it, swap books and donate books to the little library.
“Thanks to all the Staff and residents at both Octavia House and BITMO for making this happen.”
Leeds Little Free Library is a growing network of beautiful book exchanges across the city. Each box is individually painted – can you find the windmill on Belle Isle’s first box? Residents are invited to take a book or leave a book.
Octavia House is a residential recovery service which supports people with mental health issues to reintegrate into the community and live independently.
Jess Adcock, Team Leader at Octavia House said:
“We’re very glad that we’ve had a chance to reach out to the community. We’ve been here a long time and we have had a little bit of friction in the past, I think it was a lot of misunderstanding and also us not reaching out. So I’m really glad that we’ve had the opportunity and that BITMO has helped us to make ourselves known and do a little bit for the community that hosts us.”
BITMO’s Community Development Manager, Peter Sutton, explained:
“We’ve worked with our tenants at East Grange Square to improve the public space. Our caretakers have tidied up the beds and residents have added wooden planters and a hopscotch grid.
“It’s been great to work with Octavia House who do such a great job and help them reach out to the community. I would also like to thank the BITMO Board Members who agreed to fund the project.”
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It’s now smashed up and been emptied more than its been full. I have books I can put in but what’s the point if kids wreck it?
How awful that this has happened, don’t understand why people decide to destroy something that is for the community, perhaps a library may accept the books you have , I’ve donated books in the past to Hunslet library