Coming soon…
We have just obtained funding for a Changing Places accessible toilet to be installed Summer 2024. This will provide a much improved space for people with severe disabilities and their carers to be able to change in privacy and comfort. It is the only Changing Place in Haxby & Wigginton and will be a great addition for the village.
The wait is over: Haxby and Wigginton opened on 3 January
Below are a few photos which catch the mood of our fabulous opening day. You can find out all about what’s going on and our opening hours over on the Haxby and Wigginton library page.
November 2022 : Exciting News! Haxby & Wigginton Library will open on Tuesday 3 January 2023
Following work over the past few months to redevelop Oaken Grove Community Centre, the new library will open on 3 January. You will see a modern, fresh, welcoming, accessible library and reading café, children’s and adult libraries with design features are chosen by you.
- Longer opening hours: We’ll be open 6 days a week with extended Saturday opening hours because you told us you wanted us to be open longer.
- Comfortable furniture so you can relax: chairs with arm-rests requested by our older customers and lovely, flumpy beanbags chosen by our younger people.
- Tons of new books: so there are plenty to choose from whatever your reading tastes.
- PCs: you can book and use our computers or bring your own laptop and use the free wi-fi throughout the building.
- If it’s not enough to be a customer of our library, you can get more involved. We have plenty of volunteering opportunities, so if you fancy brushing up on your skills, meeting new people, giving something back to the community, then there’s sure to be something you can do.
- Finally, we will be bringing back our fantastic programme of events: under 5s storytimes, Lego clubs, readers’ groups, craft clubs and so much more.
Before we open in January, don’t forget you can still use our services as below:
Please see below for more about what’s available while we’re transforming your library:
Oaken Grove Community Centre
We look forward to welcoming back the Pop Inn as well as our regular centre users when we re-open in autumn.
Please contact us for more information about room hire and upcoming events or visit our website.
Do you have any questions? Please get in touch.
Haxby and Wigginton library
Extra staffed hours at your nearest Explore library at New Earswick Folk Hall on Mondays from 1.30pm -5pm, Wednesdays from 9am -12.30pm and Fridays 9am-12.30pm in addition to normal opening.
Home Library Service for existing customers will continue.
Borrowing
- Books checked out of Explore Haxby and Wigginton Library by 28 May will be renewed until the library re-opens. You can return books to any of our other libraries or hang on to them until we re-open.
- Reserved books and other items. You can’t pick them up from the pop-up library, but you can collect from any other Explore library.
- If you are currently waiting for a reserved book, just change your pick-up library online by logging into your account or contact Haxby and Wigginton library and we’ll change it for you. Or you can just wait and pick it up when we re-open.
May 2022 update: Good News!
Building work to transform Oaken Grove Community Centre started in June 2022, with work scheduled for completion towards the end of the year.
On re-opening Haxby and Wigginton will have a beautiful new library and reading café, more books, free Wi-Fi and computers, and an exciting programme of events and activities for all ages, as well as a new kitchen and rooms to hire. You will see upgrades to the building such as new automatic doors, new windows and flooring, updated lighting, and improved public toilets. Scroll down for more information, the plans for the building and how we developed this new centre in collaboration with the communities in Haxby and Wigginton.
Update: December 2021
We have been working over the past few months to develop designs for Oaken Grove Community Centre. An extension to the building will give us space for a new library and reading café with space to deliver all the services you’ve come to expect from Explore. We will have more room for more books, free Wi-Fi and computers, and events and activities for all the family. The Centre will still have rooms available to hire.
The work to refurbish and extend the centre will also include improvements to the appearance to the outside including new automatic doors and new aluminium windows. As well as the building extension, the internal changes include updated LED lighting, improved public toilets and new flooring.
Thanks to support from the Trustees at Haxby and Wigginton Youth and Community Association, we can now look forward to an exciting future at Oaken Grove Community Centre. The plans for the new library are shown below.
Haxby and Wigginton Proposal
Library Areas
Shelved with a combination of adult and children’s stock. Shelving will be on wheels to create flexible spaces for our events and activities programme.
Community Meeting Rooms
High quality meeting rooms at various sizes. These will be available to hire through Oaken Grove Community Centre at competitive rates.
Public Toilets
Refurbished public toilets, including an accessible toilet.
Outside Play Space
Secluded, safe, and welcoming play space for your family – great for enjoying a cup of coffee from the café while your children play or to sit and enjoy a storytime.
Reading Cafe
A community space open to all to sit, relax, read a book or meet for a catch- up with friends.
Kitchen
Staffed by Explore during the day, available for users of the community centre at evenings and weekends.
Lobby
A larger entrance giving you an even bigger welcome! Handy for storing pushchairs.
Improved Accessible Parking
Increased number of parking spaces available for blue badge holders.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts during November on our plans for a library based at the refurbished Oaken Grove Community Centre.
177 of you responded to the plans
91% of you either like or strongly like them.
This is great news for us so thank you for being so clear with your views.
I think the new plans are excellent. I would love to have a coffee and meet friends there
This is a brilliant way to bring the community together
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday opening was popular, with preferences evenly split between mornings and afternoons. The least popular times were evenings (30%) and Sundays (25%). You’ve given us a guide to work with so we can start to plan a timetable. Good news – we will be open more hours that we are at present.
Events, activities and facilities
The most popular suggestions were free wi-fi, drop-in surgeries by other organisations, readers’ groups and author talks, children’s story time and activities and access to computers. With the team at Oaken Grove Community Centre we will now develop our plans for activities ready for when we open.
Internal layout and external signage
Some of you fed back suggestions, such as a quiet reading area, which we will feed into the more detailed design. Several of you felt that the location is hidden and set back from the main thoroughfare in the village. We will be working with local councils and other organisations to improve signage and pedestrian access.
What are the next steps?
The drawings will be sent in for planning consent in January 2022 and we will then aim to employ a contractor by late spring, with work starting in early summer 2022.