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Members of the Library Tuesday Craft Group spent August creating a beautiful banner for the Pride March, which took place in the town centre on 29 August. Bearing the message "Libraries Are for Everyone", the banner was sewn together by crafters from both the Tuesday Craft Group and Bannockburn Library, using a design created by Heather Walsh.
The project brought library users together in a creative celebration of inclusion, community, and the welcoming spirit of libraries.
Artwork by David Galletly
To celebrate the launch of the Evidencing the Social Impact of Libraries research report and toolkit, a collaborative project between Stirling Libraries and the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow, the library will be hosting a community reception on Friday 11th September from 3.00pm to 4.00pm.
Library users and community groups are warmly invited to join in for hot drinks and sweet treats as we celebrate the library and the many ways it supports and brings together our community.
Friends of the Mayfield, along with several other local groups, will also be displaying photographs showcasing this year's projects and activities.
Friends of the Mayfield proudly hosted celebrated Author and Illustrator, Morag Hood on Saturday 8th August. Families were invited to take part in a Big Family Draw with Morag who talked us through some of her illustration techniques and shared some of her most loved stories.
Participants had the chance to draw, print, collage, and stamp their own artworks, all of which will be gathered together to inspire a new range of merchandise that will help fundraise for future Friends of the Mayfield projects.
A big thank you to the wonderful Morag for her time and to Stirling Council’s Community Grant for supporting the project.
Friends of the Mayfield are delighted to share that we have been successful in securing a Stirling Council Community Grant to support an exciting new creative project in partnership with the Write Club, the weekly writers’ group based at St Ninians Library.
This funding will help us bring together a brand new community publication inspired by this year’s Off the Page Book Festival theme: Home. The booklet will feature short stories written by members of the Write Club, as well as pieces created during a special creative writing workshop they led as part of the festival.
We’re also thrilled that the publication will showcase winning entries from our 8–18 Young Writers Competition. By giving young people a platform for their work and celebrating their voices alongside adult writers, we hope to spark interest in forming a young writers’ group in the future. The fund will also provide two winners with a £25 book token.
As part of the project, we are excited to welcome acclaimed author and illustrator Morag Hood to St Ninians Library on Saturday 8th August for a Big Family Draw. This free, family‑friendly event will invite the whole community to get creative together. Artwork made on the day will be gathered and used as inspiration for a new range of Friends of the Mayfield merchandise.
Both the merchandise and the finished publication will be launched at a special open evening in September, marking the second birthdays of both Friends of the Mayfield and the Write Club. All proceeds from sales will go directly back into supporting local projects, helping us continue to grow opportunities for creativity, connection, and community pride.
We are incredibly grateful to Stirling Council for supporting this project and to everyone who contributes their time, talent, and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to share more as the project unfolds.
The Mayfield Secret Garden continues to grow as a welcoming and supportive space for the community, and we are delighted to share that Revive Recovery Cafe has now taken up one of the raised beds.
This development marks a meaningful step in bringing people together through gardening, wellbeing, and shared purpose. The team at Revive Recovery Cafe are already making a positive impact, transforming their bed into a space that represents growth, care, and recovery. It’s wonderful to see the garden being used in such a thoughtful and inspiring way.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated volunteers who continue to give their time, energy, and enthusiasm to the Mayfield Secret Garden. Their ongoing commitment keeps the space thriving and ensures it remains a welcoming environment for everyone in the community. Projects like this simply wouldn’t be possible without their hard work.
We are also very grateful to St Ninians Lidl for generously supplying compost and seeds to support the work in the garden and to Braehead Community Gardens and our wonderful library customers for supplying plants.
Friends of the Mayfield are delighted to partner with Write Club to launch an exciting new opportunity for young writers across Stirling: “Stirling, My Home” – an Under-18s Short Story Competition. Delivered in collaboration with Stirling Libraries and supported by the Stirling Council Community Grant, this project invites children and young people to explore creativity, identity, and place through storytelling.
A big thank you to the children of Braehead Primary who visited our library on Monday and helped us out by planting sunflower seeds for the Secret Garden.
We planted our first batch of seeds collected from last year’s massive sunflowers and hope to have the same success this year. With more classes coming to visit next week, we may end up with an even bigger crop.
We still have plenty of seeds left so if you would like to give it a go yourself, please feel free to select some from the seed library at the desk.
Stirling Libraries’ Off the Page Book Festival brought three brilliant events to St Ninians this May. First was a children’s book club session, Kiddies’ Shelf, filled with creative writing, storytelling, and crafts made from recycled materials, run in partnership with The Girlies Shelf. It was such a special afternoon. A big thank you to Toni for all your hard work.
Alex reading to the participants of the Kiddies Shelf and discussing the illustrations
Next came a creative writing workshop led by Write Club, the weekly writers’ group based in the library. The session explored the theme of Home. Work will be featured in an upcoming publication (more on that later).
Finally, we rounded things off with an evening with author Karen Campbell, who read from her latest book and spoke thoughtfully about her writing process. Such a treat! So nice to see so many familiar faces and new ones, creating, sharing and learning together.
Karen reading from her latest novel, This Bright Life
Keep Scotland Beautiful Mascots standing in front of the Mayfield Centre
St Ninians enjoyed a spring clean this morning with the help of a group of young volunteers from Stirling Council’s Project Search. The team were out in force, tackling litter across the Mayfield area in the glorious sunshine, before heading to the library for a talk from the Waste Management team.
KSB Dog and Coffee Cup helping to pick up litter.
They learned about what happens to our rubbish as part of their work to create an advertising campaign that will let library customers know they can borrow litter‑picking equipment from the library whenever they wish. The mascot costumes were borrowed with thanks to Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Stirling office.
Although Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Spring Clean has now finished, litter‑picking equipment will be available to borrow from St Ninians Library all year round. Just ask at the desk for more details.
Old photographs of St Ninians printed onto fabric by the Library Makerspace for one of the banners.
Friends of the Mayfield are celebrating securing funding to take part in this year’s Stirling Culture Night with their vibrant community project, Carnival of the Wolf. The award has opened the door for local residents to get hands-on with the festivities through a series of free creative workshops designed to bring colour, imagination, and community spirit into the heart of the town.
Crafters busy working on lots of colourful fabric
Thanks to Scene Stirling funding, members of the local area have been able to join artist-led workshops at St Ninians Library, guided by Art Inclusion artists Amy Crawley‑Wise and Audrey McMenemy. Individuals and participating library groups have worked together to design and create large-scale banners that will feature prominently in the town centre celebrations on 1 May.
Culture Night Poster featuring illustrations by Staci Rowlison
The workshops have offered a welcoming space for people of all ages and abilities to explore their creativity, learn new skills, and contribute to a shared artistic vision. For many, it’s also a chance to connect with neighbours, celebrate local identity, and take pride in shaping a key cultural moment for Stirling. Audrey and Amy have been leading groups across Stirling including the Hillpark Craft Group who are hosting a free drop-in for adults and families on Friday 24th at the Hillpark Centre between 4pm-6pm.
Once the festivities are over, our banners will return to the Mayfield Centre, where they will be displayed as a lasting reminder of the community’s creativity and collaboration.
As preparations build toward the Carnival of the Wolf, excitement is already growing for what promises to be a bold and joyful celebration. A full line-up of activities is available to view on: Culture Night Stirling - Stirling Events
For those keen to learn more about the legend of the wolf, some free tickets are still available for the Murray Cook talk on 5th May at the Mayfield Centre between 2-3pm. Bookable through Eventbrite:
