Smalltown and Dullbridge Headmistress and Mayor Cllr Kelsey Dullard opened a new cafe for lovers of tea and books at the Porland Community Hall in Dullbridge yesterday.
The new LibrarTea has been funded with grants from Smalltown and Dullbridge (SaD) Town Council and Sadgebore District Council and will open every Wednesday morning, with residents able to choose from a selection of books to borrow and drink tea while they do it.
The previous library in Dullbridge was closed in 2018 following a cost-cutting exercise by Somerset Cuonty Council who confirmed the closure at the time saying “We don’t believe anyone in Dullbridge can read, so they don’t need a library. This is just one of many facilities that we, in combination with Sadgebore District Council will be taking away in the area.”
Declaring the facility open, Cllr Dullard said “I am really pleased to open this new LibrarTea, here in the heart of… Where am I? Oh yes. That’s right. Here in the heart of Dillbridge. Books are great aren’t they? Not as great as a lovely cup of tea, but quite great nonetheless.
This idea of combining a library with an opportunity to drink tea is a great one and one I fully support. It is well worth every penny of the £10,000 SaDTC have contributed to its costs. Much better value than a council-run White Elephant Enclosure.“
As part of the opening ceremony an attempt was made on the Tetley Book of World Record’s ‘Most number of people photographed drinking tea’ record and local All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Councilors Jim Woodenman and Alan Incendiary also made the effort to turn up for the photo opportunity, despite not having been seen or heard in Dullbridge since the elections in May.