BOOSTED by a £3.8 million refurbishment and a string of popular events, Bolton’s cultural sites saw a huge jump in attendance towards the end of 2018.

In the last three months of the year, Bolton’s Central Library and Museum hosted 133,000 visitors, an 18 per cent increase on the same period in 2017.

Much of the success has been attributed to the hugely popular ‘Bolton’s Egypt’ exhibit which opened in September. The exhibition features thousands of Ancient Egyptian artefacts and attracted almost 10,000 visitors on it’s first day alone.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport, Cllr John Byrne, said: “The continuing success of the Central Library and Museum and of Bolton’s Egypt is testament to the hard work of everyone involved and is something the whole town can be proud of.

“At a time when library attendance is falling nationally, we are committed to ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from this vital community resource.”

Other events have included late-night openings, guided tours and more than 80 class visits for 3,000 schoolchildren. Bolton’s libraries saw borrowing rates increase in 2017/18. Against a national backdrop of falling library use, the decision to abolish late fees for young readers has seen a seven per cent increase in books taken out by children in Bolton.

The e-book and audiobook collections has also kept adult borrowing at consistent levels. Cllr John Byrne said: “The continuing success of the Central Library and Museum and of Bolton’s Egypt is something the whole town can be proud of."

“From children’s stories to adult learning, there is something for everyone both in the town centre and at all the libraries across the borough.

“At a time when library attendance is falling nationally, we are committed to ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from this vital community resource.”

For more information about what’s on at Bolton Library and Museum visit boltonlams.co.uk, follow @BoltonLMS on Twitter.