LEGO model Hope is coming to Weston library

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A life-sized LEGO model of a suffragette will be on display at the library in Weston-super-Mare between Monday 22 August and Monday 12 September.

The statue, which has been named Hope, is 1.7 metres tall and took three people 171 hours to build using 32,327 LEGO bricks.

Hope is part of a 100-year celebration of the 1928 Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act which gave everyone equal voting rights. The sculpture was commissioned by the UK Parliament in 2018 and stood in the House of Commons before going on tour around the UK.

Visitors to Weston Library will be able to explore local stories of the suffragette movement in an exhibition of records usually held in the North Somerset Local Studies Library. They are also invited to have a selfie with the sculpture. People are encouraged to tag North Somerset Libraries into their social media posts and use the official campaign hashtag #StandWithHope.

The library is also running LEGO activities for families on Saturday 27 August and Saturday 3 September between 10am and 2pm.

Weston Library, in the Town Hall on Walliscote Grove Road (BS23 1UJ), is open weekdays between 9am and 6pm (self-service between 9-9.30am), and Saturdays between 9.30am and 4pm. Entry is free and everyone is welcome.

Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council's executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, said: “It’s fantastic that Weston Library was successful in bidding to host Hope as part of this national initiative.

“It will give people of all ages the opportunity to discover more about the Right to Vote and the history of our county’s democracy. I encourage people to pop into the library to learn more about this important topic and have some fun at the same time! It’s a brilliant free activity for families during the school summer holidays."

Hope will feature as part of Weston’s Heritage Open Days programme between Friday 9 and Sunday 18 September. For more information, visit: www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting.

The library is also running the Summer Reading Challenge during the summer holidays to encourage children to keep reading over the school holidays.

More information about events taking place in libraries across North Somerset, can be found on the council's website (www.n-somerset.gov.uk/libraries) and on social media accounts – Facebook (www.facebook.com/nslibraries), Twitter (https://twitter.com/NSomLibraries) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/northsomersetlibraries).

Photo credit: Jessica Taylor.