In November 2018 our library was officially opened by Bishop Sutton resident and writer Stephen Ward,who said that this was the first community library in the whole of Bath & North East Somerset to be set up entirely from scratch, and it’s the first drop-in community hub in Bishop Sutton.

We have had friendly, efficient, professional and unwavering support given to our library by Karen Warrington, District Councillor and her team from the Community Library Service of B&NES, and Sarah Dixon from the B&NES Community Engagement Team.

One resident commented that it really is a proper library, complete with a library desk, volunteer librarians, Wifi, local newspapers,reading chairs and with circa 3000 books there are stacks to browse and another commented that those who have used the library since it began operating have commented at how surprised they are at the feel of the centre and its range of books.

The library was the first phase of a wider vision for the building which sees the creation of a community hub. The library provides a meeting place for residents, somewhere that people of all ages can go for company and a cup of tea or coffee.

There is a children’s area and free wi-fi provided by Truespeed. The facility is open to all, you don’t need to be resident in the village to use the library.

The library also supports the BillyChip®️ scheme, a local homeless charity set up by the family of Billy Abernethy-Hope, a twenty year old Chew Valley resident. Billy tragically lost his life in a road accident in 2018 whilst backpacking in Thailand. The scheme has the help of Arthur David Food with Service, another local firm and featured on National TV. You can buy a BillyChip®️ for £2 with cash or card, pop it in your purse and donate it to someone sleeping rough, they can then redeem it for food and drink from participating outlets at a time that benefits them. So pick up a BillyChip®️ next time you pop into the cafe. To find out more visit billychip.com.