Community Library & Café

We started a Community Library and Café in Marks Tey in response to losing one of our mobile libraries. We asked the Parish Council if they would host it in one of the halls at the village hall but first they wanted to know the response from the community. So, we asked them and the response was overwhelmingly in agreement. We were inundated with books and with offers of help so we opened in March 2019.

We had just celebrated our first birthday when lock-down happened and we had to shut. We re-opened in June 2021 and moved into a bigger hall. This enabled us to have better bookcases to accommodate all the books we were given, more tables for the café and also to invite people with their craft tables. We also have visits from Colchester City Council, Anglian Water, Essex Fire and Rescue, and Coffee with a Cop. This allows anyone to ask any questions they may have.

We have over 2,000 books for people to choose from across all genres, all donated, a large Children’s section with their own craft table and always have lots of homemade cakes in the café section. This has grown considerably over the years as it gives people an opportunity to come together to have a chat over a cuppa and cake with other people they may not see very often. We have a 'warm space' in the colder months where we also have soup and sausage rolls. Our Christmas Library is very festive and we also have mulled wine and mince pies

In 2024 our annual MacMillan Coffee Morning raised over £300.

We are open on the 1st Saturday of the month from 10:00am to 12:30pm, in the Parish Hall, Old London Road, Marks Tey. Many of the congregation from St Andrew’s help at the library each month and it is a good way to engage with the local community.