Hartlepool Borough Council has secured £94,400 of Government funding to significantly enhance the digital and creative activities and services it offers across its community hubs and libraries.
The funding has been awarded through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Libraries Improvement Fund and will be topped up with a further £5,000 from the Council.
The investment will support a wide range of improvements designed to make the community hubs and libraries more accessible – especially for young people and schools – and more engaging and future‑focused. These include:
- the rollout of Wi‑Fi printing – currently only available at Community Hub Central - across all Hartlepool’s community hubs and libraries, making it easier for residents to print from their own devices
- major upgrades to Community Hub Central’s Fab Lab, including new digital equipment such as 3D printers, virtual reality headsets, iPads, coding kits and robotics, as well as an enlarged and improved space
- improvements to digital access at the Local and Family History Centre, including public Wi‑Fi and additional laptops
- a full upgrade of the popular Hartlepool History Then and Now website, which holds fascinating archive of local images and memories, and making it easier to use on mobiles and tablets
The enhanced Fab Lab will also allow the service to expand its work with schools, families and young people, offering creative and technology‑based workshops that support the national curriculum and build digital skills.
Gemma Ptak, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Director of Housing, Communities and Growth, said: “This is fantastic news for Hartlepool and a clear vote of confidence in our Community Hubs and Libraries service.
“The funding will allow us to build on the success we’ve already achieved and offer even more opportunities for residents to learn new skills, be creative, access technology and connect with others.
“From expanding our Fab Lab offer and working more closely with schools, to making it easier for people to print, research their family history or explore Hartlepool’s heritage online, these improvements will help ensure our community hubs and libraries remain welcoming, modern and relevant spaces at the heart of our communities.”
The project also supports the Council’s community hubs’ aims of helping to tackle digital exclusion, encourage lifelong learning and create spaces that improve social connection and wellbeing.
Work on the improvements will get under way later this year.