Greetings All,

I'd like to thank children's author, Louie Stowell, for providing a Statement of Support for the Save Ealing Libraries campaign. On a related note, WAPPY hopes to have an audience with Louie Stowell at a branch of Ealing Libraries in due course.

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT

"As a children's writer, I know very well the immense impact a properly and professionally staffed and stocked library can have. Access to books - for people of all ages - at no cost is vital for our society to be just. But it's especially important for children, as literacy gaps formed early in life massively affect life chances. I grew up in Ealing as a small child and had access to an amazing range of books in libraries there. It saddens me enormously that children in the future might not have that advantage. The long-term impact on children of having access to endless stories, non-fiction and more, is impossible to measure. But the effects on the economy of a less literate population can be measured, and without libraries, we will all be poorer, both in mind and in the treasury!"

Louie Stowell, author of The Dragon in the Library

The article below is an excellent read which I partly drew on in last week's Overview & Scrutiny Review Meeting.  We have been informed by James Conlon, UNISON Convenor, that at least 93 library workers are at risk of losing their jobs. The mood is one of despondency. Ealing council's library proposal is deeply unpopular. 17, 616  people across the borough say no to it! Please do share the Save Ealing Libraries petition. The campaign will continue undeterred by last week's disappointing and prejudicial outcome and remember .... "You just can't beat the person who never gives up!!" (Babe Ruth).