CONGRATULATIONS to the staff at Penarth Library on their winning the national award at the Marketing Excellence Awards at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

This is well deserved as they are always very helpful and pleasant. It's a pleasure to go there and you also chance to meet up with friends. I hope this now bodes well for the continuation of the library's existence.

For those who are unaware, the library has been under threat of closure since before Christmas 2013 and yet they provide so many facilities as well as running the library.

Do you know that every Saturday the library runs the 'Blast:Creative' group for children aged seven years and over, where they make sculptures, paint a masterpiece, write a novel, create a character, act a fool, cook up a storm or build something magnificent.

In addition the library has been working with young people through Penarth Library Teen Advisory Group to keep up to date with their wants and needs

Through the use by the library of social media such as Twitter and Facebook, the internet and by using publicity materials a lively interaction has been maintained.

The library provides talking books, CDs and DVDs. Should you want a book that is not available it will be ordered for you. How else will you manage to obtain the book you want, especially if you cannot go out to shop?

Also, they hold Sign Language sessions for children: there is a weekly Story time: Welsh Story time: Children's literacy classes and one off events.

There is free Wifi: Computer Classes for Beginners and One to one: IPad training: Family History and Local History online and in book form.

Job Centre Workshops, CV Creation and Job Searching also take place at our library.

Should we need Garden, Recycling, food or dog bags, this is the place to go.

I look on our Library as the Community Centre we do not have and feel that with all that they do for us it is a vital service in all respects and we should all value it and fight for it.

I do hope that Councillor Stuart Egan, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for adult services, who is leading the library review working group will value ours enough for Penarth people to continue to enjoy the services provided. For without the Library, I fear that Penarth will become a DEAD TOWN, as I consider it to be the heart of our community.

Marjorie Lasebikan

via e-mail