Trafford Council is calling on residents to ‘be more Beryl’, a 92-year-old volunteer who is still working at Hale Library.
Beryl Jones is one of 20 people who give their time at 11 libraries in the borough - but now the libraries service is looking for new recruits to join the ranks.
Retired teacher Beryl has chalked up 13 years’ service at Hale Library.
She volunteers every week, greeting and looking after visitors, putting returned books back on shelves and picking out books to be sent to other libraries when users reserve them.
A keen reader, counting Santa Montefiore and Joanna Trollope among her favourite authors, Beryl first volunteered after seeing a notice in the Messenger newspaper.
She said: “It’s a very enjoyable thing to do. When you are retired, I think it’s important to keep active and sociable and I love being part of the team at the library. The staff and regular customers are so lovely.
“I love to say hello to the students who come in to work on their laptops and the parents who bring their children in.”
Beryl has lived in Hale all her life and has three sons, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She taught shorthand, typing and business studies at South Trafford College for many years.
When the library moved premises in 2024, Beryl was asked to officially cut the ribbon and declare the new library open. She is also a member of the University of the Third Age.
Library volunteers play a vital role in the day to day running of Trafford Libraries. The dedicated team, who give their time and skills, help process book stock, support activities and events, keep things tidy and deal with visitor enquiries.
Cllr Cath Hynes, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage, said: “Our volunteers are such an important and highly valued part of our team, and we appreciate how their support allows us to do more for visitors.
“Our longest-standing volunteers have been supporting us for years, some like Beryl for over a decade. We also have some library staff who started working with us as a volunteer, and are now in a variety of frontline, support and manager roles in our service.”
Volunteers of all ages and walks of life work with Trafford Libraries for a wide variety of reasons, including work experience, meeting new people, contributing to their community and learning new skills.
For further information, please visit: Volunteering at Trafford Libraries
