WORK to improve a Somerset library - backed by Michael Eavis - is set to start this Spring.

Plans to give Shepton Mallet library a "substantial makeover" were agreed this month.

The changes will include longer opening hours, increase in staff and a new look for the community hub.

Due to Covid-19, the work will not start until the Spring and is expected to take between eight and twelve weeks.

The library will be closed while the work takes place.

Somerset County Council’s (SCC) Libraries Service team has discussed the new model for the library with Shepton Mallet Town Council (SMTC) and 7 Starlings CIC.

“This is great news for Shepton Mallet and shows what can be achieved by working together to improve people’s lives," said Cllr David Hall, whose Cabinet responsibilities includes libraries.

"As a result of the library’s makeover and working with our partners, we hope that people will be tempted to come and find out what is on offer. The library will become a vibrant, welcoming space for everyone in the local community’."

The 7 Starlings will be promoting use of the library during evenings, weekends and outside regular opening hours during the week.

Kate Lovell, Chair of 7 Starlings CIC said: “We are delighted to be part of this tremendous opportunity for Shepton Mallet and surrounding communities.

"The new library model will be a great resource in the heart of our town. The aim of 7 Starlings CIC is to create a habitat for as diverse a range of talents, ideas and communities as possible.”

There has also been a successful public campaign to keep the library in its current location, which led the SMTC to agree to invest £75,000 in the library over five years.

Matt Harrison, chair of SMTC, added: “As high streets re-invent themselves to be more experiential and less reliant on traditional retail, libraries are becoming ever more important community spaces.

“The Town Council’s financial investment is evidence that we see our library as critical in playing a central part in our town’s life; not just physically but educationally and culturally too. The innovative way various groups and the community have come together to make this happen just shows what the Shepton community can achieve when it works together.”

A contribution of £8,000 per year for five years has also been received from Glastonbury Festival co-creator, Michael Eavis, further helping to maintain a viable long-term future for the library in the Market Place.