Library lovers of every age add their locks to Crown Street railings

The cornerstone of Crown Street was decorated with hundreds of unique locks, hand-written letters, ribbons and personal pleas to help save the library from closure under Darlington Borough Council plans.

Thirty metres of metal chains were donated to the cause by Darlington businesses with more than 250 padlocks added to the railings over a seven-day period.

But the Let’s Love Lock the Library campaign banner and padlocks were removed by the council on Monday (April 11) before plans were revealed to put the locks on display inside Crown Street Library.

Prize-winning poet and Newcastle University PhD student, Joanne Clement, helped Amelia Brown, 7, and Ceri Brown, 8, add their locks to the railings

Ms Clement said: “It was tricky to find room of our locks on the chains outside, which is very heart-warming as every lock, every message or piece of ribbon represents a real person with a very real connection to this building.

“We shouldn't underestimate the power of that connection.

“Creative arts as an industry produces millions of pounds in revenue for this country and places like Crown Street foster the bedrock of that idea, young minds being able to explore, to develop and to think for themselves.

“It's really about finding a voice.”

And The Northern Echo’s campaign to save the cherished building from closure now needs less than 300 people to add their signatures before the Government must respond to the campaign.

The petition calls on central Government to rethink its funding formula which has led Darlington Borough Council to “implement savage spending cuts that threaten the fabric of the town.”

More than 5,880 Darlington residents have already signed the online petition, with people pledging their support to the campaign from every corner of Great Britain.

The Northern Echo will receive a response to the petition when it reaches 10,000 signatures and to show your support, visit northernecho.co.uk/saveourtown