THE future of Wiveliscombe’s community library appears to have been secured for the next seven years.

Funding and a lease of its premises in The Square will run out next March, and Wiveliscombe Area Partnership is withdrawing from its management of the building.

A town council working group has been considering how to keep the library open and has been looking for volunteers to help.

Now, Wiveliscombe Town Hall trustees have agreed to the principle of taking on library management responsibilities for seven years from next April.

A trust spokesperson said: “The first year will be a transitional year in which the town council maintains the current level of funding, Somerset continues to run the library service and employ the librarian, and we manage the building and volunteers.

“From the second year, 2027 onward, we will also become responsible for employing the librarian.

“In January, we will be holding a series of meetings around the ‘10 Parishes’ on the future of the library and how we can shape its future for the widest number of people.

“But you can rest assured that the core library service will remain fundamentally the same.

“Once we are up and running, we will also be looking for people to volunteer for a regular slot in the library to help make it an even more vibrant part of our community.

“It is likely the library will also house information services and operate as a box office for local events.”

The town hall trust is also looking for people to join the trustees, particularly somebody who can help look after its finances and anybody with a background relevant to the community library in what is going to be a busy year in 2026.

Anybody who can help with building work and redecoration planned for the town hall next year will also be welcomed.