A family fun day takes place in Annesley Woodhouse next weekend to herald the opening of the county’s latest community partnership library.

Nottinghamshire County Council has announced plans for Annesley Woodhouse Library to relocate to space at the Acacia Centre in Acacia Avenue.

The current library service at a village church hall in Skegby Road will finish on Saturday, March 12 at 1pm as its lease is coming to an end, and the library will open in the Acacia Centre on Saturday, March 19 at 9am. The family fun will start at 10.30am with activities including a special visit from the Bookstart Bear.

The move has been made possible following discussions between the county council’s libraries service and the management and board of Trustees at the Acacia Centre. The centre opened in 2010 with support from Ashfield District Council and the Big Lottery Fund and is already a community hub for the village hosting more than 20 groups including a Lunch Club, a karate club, Brownies and Rainbows.

Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We are very excited about this move. The Acacia Centre is a real focal point for community activity and it is great news the library will be located within the centre. We are committed to our libraries service and this initiative is part of our continuing vision for libraries to be modern, community, cultural and information hubs.”

Acacia Centre Manager Peter Clarke said: “We are delighted the library will be joining us as the centre, which we anticipate will be very popular across the whole community, and it also brings a whole host of opportunities for engagement and activities for everyone.”

The news follows on from similar initiatives last year which saw Collingham Library become the first community partnership library in the county, followed by Tuxford Library last autumn.

The plans are in line with the county council’s Redefining Your Council strategy – ensuring we can deliver services that the people of Nottinghamshire value in a sustainable way. The Annesley Woodhouse move means the council’s library service will save money on maintenance costs in the long term.

Annesley Woodhouse Library opening hours will remain the same as they are in the current building, following the move, with the library service hoping to increase its number of visitors and book issues, which stand at 3,350 visitors and 8,000 book issues per annum. It will also have volunteer opportunities as well.