Pub Quiz June

More wickedness from our Master Quiz Mistress to tease your ‘grey matter’! Come along and pit your wits. Have another fun evening with your fellow campaigners. Have you got some friends who could add their ‘expert’ knowledge to your team?

May Pub Quiz

All welcome, come along and have a great night.

World Book Night

Our very own Geraldine has been chosen as a ‘Giver’ on ‘World Book Night‘. She has been gifted inscribed copies of ‘Girl With A Pearl Earring’ by Tracy Chevalier.
She has organized an event at ASDA in Wembley Park tomorrow Tuesday 23rd where the first 6 people to ask will be given a copy.

World Book Night

We will be giving away hundreds of books along with World Book Night. Come along.

Pub Quiz 8/4/2013

Another great night!

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And some more pics from the quiz

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Brent’s library campaigners spread festive cheers throughout the borough – News – Kilburn Times

Despite the recent cold weather and long nights the borough’s library campaigners were out in force to spread festive cheer this week.

Members of the Preston Library Campaign, took up residence in Preston Community Library, a temporary reading room in Preston Road, Wembley, for a Charles Dickens reading session.

Read more here.

Join us for A Christmas Carol: Thurs 20 – Sat 22 December

Local Writers and Actors reading Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ followed by Carol Singing in Preston Road, Thus 20th; Fri 21st; and Carols on Sat22nd.

One year on: torch relay and memorial service for Brent libraries

One year on, Brent SOS Libraries campaign marked the closure of our libraries with a torch relay between all 7 libraries, stopping at Barham Community Library, before winding its way to the newly inaugurated Preston Community Library where a marathon read of Alice in Wonderland was held. A vigil was held at Preston Library itself before we moved onto a party at the Windermere. Phew!

Sat 13 Oct – Light of Learning Torch Relay comes to Preston – 5pm

A year since our libraries were closed, Brent SOS Libraries will be running it’s own Light of Learning torch relay through each site, linking each and renewing our commitment to reopening all of them.

At 5pm it’ll arrive at Preston Library, where we will have guest readings, before a good old knees up at The Windermere at 6pm. Expect great music, raffles and free buffet! (Map + itinerary below)

But the fun will begin earlier at 2pm, when Preston Community Library will reopen at 235 Preston Road with a marathon reading of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. So come along!

Sat 13 Oct: 2pm – Alice in Wonderland MARATHON READING

Alongside the Light of Learning torch relay marking 1 year since library closure PRESTON COMMUNITY LIBRARY will reopen at 235 Preston Road, with a marathon reading of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

We would like chidren to come and  help us read Alice from start to finish.
Please let us know if your child would like to take part.

• 2pm: Formal Opening of the Reading and Lending Room at 235 Preston Road
• 5pm: Torch arrives outside Preston Library
• 6pm: Party at the Windermere Pub, Windermere Ave

PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT US – We have over 2,000 donated books.  We will only have about 700-800 in the reading room at any one time.

The reading room will open on Sunday mornings  from 10am until 1pm starting this Sunday 14th October. It will also open on Thursday afternoons from 2pm to 4.30pm starting 18th October.
PARKING IN PRESTON ROAD IS FREE ON A SUNDAY provided it is not an event day at the Stadium

Mon 22nd Oct – Preston Pub Quiz is back

Preston Pub Quiz returns!
Monday 22nd October 2012 – 7.30pm doors £5/3
@ The Preston Pub, 161 Preston Road, Wembley

Thur 13 Sep: Kilburn Comedy Festival

The performance poets Tim Wells, Fran Isherwood and Chuquai Billy are pleased to appear as part of The Kilburn Comedy Festival. The evening is in support of Preston Library.

8pm @ The North London Tavern – 375 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7QB – MAP

• Tim Wells is a poet who’s performed world-wide. He’s toured the U.S 12 times and been translated into many languages including Chinese. He is a regular guest poet on BBC Radio London and is writer-in-residence with Tighten Up . 
• Fran Isherwood‘s poetry is a wry and playful gallop through the vagaries of life encountering mail-stealing snails, lollipop ladies, Glam Rock, insomnia and macabre part-time jobs en route. 
• Chuquai Billy is a Native American performer from the Lakota Sioux/Choctaw Nations. His material is friendly, funny and (mostly) historically correct with observations on life on the native reservation, life in the UK versus the US and on current affairs.

They will be joined by other quick-fire poets and the audience can judge the winner.

Tickets: £8 (£5 Concessions/Friends of Preston Library) – Book on 07773951099 or on the door.

Preston Community Library Open Day

The bookshelves are gone – Brent Council has started work on the temporary classrooms that will live inside Preston Library for the next year or two. But the community library will be back, and on a sunny Friday and Saturday, we notched up loads more members.

THIS SATURDAY: Preston Library Clean-Up at 1pm

They may have removed our banner in the dead of night, but the world can still see it on Google street maps.

Many of you will have noticed that in the months since it closed Preston Library has become something of an eyesore – infested with weeds, and a magnet for litter.

You could, I suppose, argue that this mess is a fitting monument to the work of Ann John and Gareth Daniel, but this was – and will again be – our library, and we have decided to clean up and re-plant the front garden.

Please join us outside Preston Library this Saturday, 9 June, at 1pm.

MONDAY: Lobby the Brent Executive – 6.15pm: Brent Town Hall

This Monday – 21 May – Brent’s Executive will consider a ‘Progress Report’ on the implementation of the Libraries Transformation Project (library closures to you and me).

This remarkable report (which you can read on Brent’s website) barely mentions the huge drop in visits to Brent’s libraries since last October.

It barely mentions the huge drop in books issued by Brent’s libraries.

It does claim that 46% of the users of the closed libraries have moved to other libraries, but doesn’t reach the obvious conclusion – namely that the other 54%, many thousands of people, have been deprived of their library service.

Please come to Monday’s meeting to support the campaign to get our libraries back.

We will be outside Brent Town Hall at 6.15; the meeting starts at 7pm, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

The change of leadership makes this the best possible moment to show that our campaign is alive and kicking, and that we aren’t going to go away.

Where there’s a Will!

On Monday, our inimicable Geraldine Cook put together our very own World Book Night event at the Windermere Pub (well Brent weren’t going to!), celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday and St George’s day in one fell swoop.

MONDAY: Shakespeare meets St George on World Book Night

Friday 30 March: Easter Rising

Burns Night in the land Brent forgot!

With thanks to the fair Geraldine.

TONIGHT – Burns Night in Preston

The Great Scot, Robert Burns will be with us in spirit on Saturday 11 February.

Poetry, dancing and a tipple at the Preston Mall Community Centre from 7.30pm

VIDEO: National Libraries Day

Thanks to Your News UK Community TV

A truly Dickensian night at the Windermere

A packed out Windermere nestled in the snow was the perfect setting for us to celebrate Charles Dicken’s 200th anniversary. Following the children’s storytelling day at Preston Park school, it rounded off a hugely successful National Libraries Day, despite yesterday’s bad news.

Readings from the man of letters and Whitbread Prize-winner Paul Bailey and music from the inimicable CLOS made it an night to remember. Let’s not forget the children – and yet more distinguished authors, like Leon Rosselson, Kaye Umansky (below), Daniel Kitts, Dyan Sheldon and Jenny Newland.

Brent has no plans to ever hold an event locally here. That ended when they closed our only portal to the council, and lied to us that they would make it up via “outreach”.

What the Dickens? – TONIGHT

Join us at The Windermere Pub at 7.30pm to celebrate National Libraries Day

Community turns out in force to Save Preston Library

The fight is far from over. The hall was packed, reinvigorating all of us. Preston needs it’s Library and a fair deal from the council.

Sat 4 February – National Libraries Day

Children’s activity day @ Preston Park School, College Road… 10.15am – 4pm… Storytelling, pop-up library, guest authors, art corner..and more.

What the Dickens! Celebrate 200 years of Dickens @ The Windermere… 7.30pm… Readings, Open Mic, guest poets and of course ale. Come dressed up in your favourite Victorian garb.

Who said Preston Library is dead??

Tuesday 31st January – Public Meeting

Pub Quiz TONIGHT

@The Preston Pub (opposite Preston Library)
7.30pm (for 8pm start)

Professional quizmaster, raffle and prizes!

Come along and show your support for a hard fought campaign. It’s not over yet!

£5/3

A Preston Christmas Carol (or two)

For those who missed last week’s carols – you can now sing the special ones around your tree at home. We have shown incredible spirit this year and we intend to continue into the new year.

You can also download and print them here: A Preston Christmas Carol

Oh Library! Oh how I love you so!

“We’ll make our own holidays thank you” says Preston Library Campaign as Brent cancels Christmas

Preston Library Campaign will bring seasonal cheer and goodwill to all this weekend to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah with carol singing for the community this evening and a Christmas Party at the Windermere Pub on Saturday night.

Brent Council has this year REFUSED to provide a Christmas tree or Hanukah lights, despite spending £HALF A MILLION of taxpayers’ money on Christmas promotions on Willesden High Street and activities at Willesden Library. Tonight our merry band of singers took celebrations into their own hands, walking from the Green up to Preston Road station to entertain commuters, shoppers and local shopkeepers.

Christmas Carols TONIGHT – 5pm

On the green outside Preston Pub. Join us for old and specially written carols.

From today’s Society Guardian:

• Library campaigners in north-west London, who are planning to sing carols tonight. They’ll be gathering at the green on Preston Road, Wembley, at 5pm before walking to Preston Road. They are highlighting Brent council’s decision to close six of its 12 libraries, a decision the Brent SOS Libraries group is challenging in the high court, and they’ve even written their own words to the carol We Three Kings, which begins:

We need our libraries – local they are,
Now we’ll have to travel afar
Traffic, parking
Drive us barking.
Paying to park the car.

SAT 17 DEC: Christmas Party @The Windermere Pub

7.30pm. A chance for the community to celebrate how far we’ve come fighting the good fight.

Not fundraising, just fun!

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The Long March to Kingsbury Library

Thanks to Wembley Matters blog for the account of today’s  Walk to Save Preston Library. Locals from children to octagenarians walked en masse to their “next nearest library” in Kingsbury  from South Kenton. With no direct public transport, the walk highlights how the new library system in miles out.

The march took about an hour, excluding a short refreshment stop.  As one of the slower ones said, “By the time we get there are books will be gone!”

Saturday: The Walk to Save Preston Library – 1.30pm South Kenton station

Show Jeremy Hunt why Brent’s 21st Century library service is miles out!!

We’re going to walk to our nearest library this Saturday 5 November. Join us and show the politicians just how close Kingsbury library really is.

Everyone welcome – dress as your favourite book or character!

Saturday 5 November – 1.30pm – South Kenton station (Windermere Ave)

Kenton, Preston and Barn Hill ward councillors have been invited – let’s hope they join us and show where they stand/walk!

 

 

SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER – Save Preston Library Disco Dance

Dance and party the night away with your friends to hits from the 60s, 70s 80s and now!
Bring snacks and nibbles to share!
FREE PARKING – RAFFLE – LICENSED BAR

7.30-midnight
Preston Mall Community Centre, The Mall, Kenton, HA3 9UA
£6

TODAY: Special Delivery for Jeremy Hunt

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At 10 am, we went to the DCMS in central london to present 12,000 signatures and hundreds of letters to the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt.  400 were by kids alone. We demand he fulfil his responsibility to.investigate whether Brent’s new library service is “comprehensive and efficient” (as it should be under Museums.and Libraries Act 1964).
He met the council in June, but has he heard our side? Nope. The sheer volume of complaints to him should persuade him to do so.

 

MONDAY: Preston Pub Quiz

It’s back!

Monday 24th October
7.30pm at The Preston Pub
£5/3

Raffle and laughter guaranteed.

Preston Vigil continues – volunteers welcome

The people who thought it would be easy to deprive us of our last remaining service, who thought we don’t care enough, never expected their Wall of Shame would be transformed into our community message board, telling Ann John that we want our library back.

It’s half term, the weather was very nice today and we plan to stay put, collecting letters and signatures to demand the government intervenes – they will only do this if we bury them in letters and petitions. We are running a rota, so if you fancy volunteering an hour of your time this week, please let us know. There is food, chairs and plenty of friendly people to meet. It’s actually really good fun!

Email ussaveprestonroadlibrary@gmail.com