Colehill Community Library

What Colehill Community Library does

Colehill Community Library is a community library service operated by Colehill Town Council (formerly Colehill Parish Council), the local government authority for the civil parish of Colehill in Dorset, England. The library serves approximately 7,500 local residents — Colehill being the 16th largest settlement in Dorset — and delivers book lending, the annual Summer Reading Challenge for children, community support programmes, and a calendar of activities and events from its physical location in Colehill, with its broader administrative office at 17 Four Wells Road, Colehill, BH21 7BA.

The library is funded through the council tax precept of Colehill Town Council, with the council having been awarded the NALC Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) Silver Award in 2025 for governance and community engagement quality. The operating model is fundamentally a non-commercial public service: there is no disclosed pricing, no private or institutional revenue, and no venture or grant funding rounds recorded. Outreach to residents is conducted through the council website (colehill.gov.uk) and social media channels on Facebook (@colehillTC) and Twitter (@colehillnews). Zöe Caddy serves as Clerk to the Council and Responsible Financial Officer, overseeing council administration including the library, under a governance framework of unpaid elected councillors.

The governing body underwent a significant reclassification in December 2025, formally changing its name from Colehill Parish Council to Colehill Town Council following a public survey in which 97.5% of respondents (40 submissions) supported the change. The reclassification was driven primarily by new UK government planning rules providing enhanced Green Belt protection for towns versus villages. The technology stack is undisclosed and treated as not applicable given the community-service nature of the operation. No AI capabilities, commercial product lines, or proprietary technology platforms are associated with the library.

Name

Colehill Community Library

Legal name

Colehill Town Council (formerly Colehill Parish Council)

Website

https://colehill.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colehill Community Library is a public library service operated by Colehill Town Council in Dorset, England, providing book lending, the Summer Reading Challenge, community support, and activities to the parish's approximately 7,500 residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Community library services
• Public library programs
• Book lending services
• Children's reading programs
• Community support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Colehill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Library Services: The library operates as a community service under Colehill Town Council, funded through the council tax precept. Services include book loans, community support, activities and events, and various library programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Colehill Community Library provides traditional public library services to local residents, including book lending, books available for sale or loan, community support initiatives, and a programme of community activities and events. It also runs recurring programmes such as the Summer Reading Challenge aimed at encouraging reading among children during school holidays.

Product overview

Colehill Community Library is a community library service operated as part of Colehill Town Council (formerly Colehill Parish Council). The library provides core lending services, community support programs, and various activities and events for local residents. The offering consists of a single unified library service with multiple programmatic elements including book lending, the annual Summer Reading Challenge for children, community support initiatives, and regular events and activities. The library receives grant aid from Colehill Town Council to support its operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colehill Community Library Services Core library services for Colehill residents, including book lending, reference access, community support programs, and use of library facilities, funded by grant aid from Colehill Town Council.
• Summer Reading Challenge Annual reading challenge for children run in partnership with the council, encouraging reading during the school summer holidays.
• Community Support Services Local community support initiatives and resources provided through the library to assist residents, including signposting to local services and welfare resources.
• Activities and Events Community events, activities, and programs organized at the library, including seasonal events and reading programmes for residents of all ages.
• Books for Sale or Loan Library book lending service for residents, supplemented by books available for purchase, with proceeds supporting library funding.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Colehill Town CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColehill Community Library operates as part of Colehill Town Council. The council provides grant aid and administrative support to the library, which is listed as one of the key community facilities including Schools, Churches, Community halls, Youth Club, and other local amenities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Locality: UK membership organisation supporting local community organisations, town and parish councils. Comparable as an enabling/thematically connected peer that supports the operating context of council-run community facilities like Colehill Community Library.
• CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals): UK professional body for the library and information sector. Comparable as the thematically connected industry body whose standards, advocacy, and training frameworks shape UK public library operations including council-run community libraries.
• National Association of Local Councils (NALC): UK national membership body representing local (parish and town) councils. Relevant as the awarding body for the LCAS accreditation Colehill holds and as the ecosystem body governing the council's operating standards and grant frameworks.

Direct peers

• Wimborne Library: Adjacent Dorset public library operated at the parish level for Wimborne Minster, a similar small-town community just outside Colehill. Comparable as a UK council-supported public lending library serving a defined local catchment with similar program scope.
• Verwood Library: Nearby Dorset public library serving Verwood, a town of similar size to Colehill. Directly comparable as a UK small-town community lending library with analogous book loan, children's programs, and community event offerings.
• Ferndown Library: Public library serving the larger neighbouring town of Ferndown in East Dorset. Comparable as a Dorset community library providing lending, reference, and community programming to a similar suburban catchment.
• Broadstone Library: Public library in nearby Broadstone, part of the Dorset Council network. Comparable as a suburban Dorset lending library with a similar resident base, programme mix, and council-funded operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Dorset Council Library Service: Upper-tier authority that oversees county-wide library operations in Dorset. Directly comparable as the institutional operator of multiple public library branches, with Colehill Town Council operating alongside and partially overlapping this regional service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colehillnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/colehillTC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colehill-community-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colehill Community Library