THE end of March will see the closure of what has been a highly successful programme of free events, organised by the Folklore Library and Archive and hosted at Crediton Library.

Thanks to grant funding received from the National Grid and Local Giving as part of the warm spaces initiative, the library has been opened up regularly on Friday evenings (and a couple of other times) for a diverse and fascinating programme of events, all of which have been free to attend for everyone.

Large audiences have enjoyed music and song, local history, author talks, film screenings and more, with many people going along most weeks and forming their own little community of friends.

Tomorrow evening (Friday, March 22) will see a presentation by historian and author Tracey Norman.

She will be discussing the use of actual historical events and true crime in fictional writing.

In particular, Tracey will discuss her book “Who Is Anna Stenberg?”, which is based in the Victorian period in both England and France.

The audience will learn about ways to research historical events and how to use them in fiction.

On Good Friday, March 29, the final evening event will be a presentation on Crediton Museum by Tony Gale.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions about the museum and its collections, including the document archives and objects kept at Downes House, and to learn a little about the 2024 exhibition which opens at the Museum in April. 

To book a free place for either or both of these events, please either email the Folklore Library and Archive at: [email protected], drop into Crediton Library or telephone 01363 772578.

It is hoped that the end of March will not see the end of free events such as the ones that have made up the Warm Winters programme, and there are already plans to put on more over the spring, summer and autumn which would hopefully lead to a new winter programme next year.

The Folklore Library and Archive are working on a number of other community projects at the moment, including reminiscence, heritage photo collections and collaboration with the museum on the 2024 exhibition.

Based in Crediton Library, the Folklore Library and Archive is home to the Devonshire Folklore Collection and many other important archives and books.

If you are interested in volunteering on any of the community projects, or want to know more about the charity, please email: [email protected]  or call into the library.