1st February 2018 - come along to Athlone Library's free Mindfulness Class. Please note, booking is essential - tel 090 6442157

Please note - this event is now fully booked.

If you are interested in the Trees on the Land scheme, applications for trees close at midnight on Friday 5th January 2018, that's tonight. Farmers, smallholders, councils, community groups, schools, colleges and other landowners can all apply on their website - https://www.treesontheland.com/plant-trees

Start 2018 off the right way by signing up for our free Mindfulness class in Moate Library!

Energia Get Ireland Growing is back for another year of re-energising community food growing right across Ireland! GIY and Energia have teamed up once again to give 85 Communities a proper boost with a fund of €75,000! https://giy.ie/get-involved/grow-in-the-community/energia-get-ireland-growing/energia-get-ireland-growing-about.html And remember, we stock a wide variety of Gardening books in all our libraries (https://goo.gl/u5j1wr ) and online (https://goo.gl/4Epsr3)

Healthy Ireland - Thought for the week "Be Kind To Yourself" HealthyIreland #healthyireland

Our first prompt of the year is "A book that has been made into a film". Have you any suggestions? All the Harry Potter books meet it, and The Hunger Games series. There are also classics like War & Peace and The Great Gatsby. We'll have more suggestions over the month and would love to hear what you are reading. #wmreads2018 http://ow.ly/ZctY30hzCOL

For 2018 we are challenging you to read one book a month. To help you meet this goal we will provide you with 12 prompts to inspire your book selection. All you need to do is to select a book that matches each challenge. We'll be happy to help if you are stuck for a particular challenge and will be providing suitable titles. Once you have one book read, tick off that challenge and get ready for the next! Westmeath Libraries will be offering a prize for one lucky reader at the end of the challenge, to enter the draw all you need to do is complete the challenge and return your card to the library by 6th Jan 2019. If you want an additional chance to win then let us know what you are reading on social media using the hashtag #wmreads2018 The challenge prompts are : A book that has been made into a film A biography A book set somewhere you've never been A book with a colour in the title A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you A science ficiton or fantasy novel A book recommended by a friend A mystery story A short story A children's classic A book about mental health A book that has won an award Remember, you can read the books in any order you wish, and at any time during 2018. Don't forget to let us know what you are reading, we'd love to hear what you think especially if you end up reading a book you loved. You can print off your own Reading Challenge 2018 card or ask in your local library and we'll be happy to print one off for you too.

Talking Road Safety- the RSA offering advice on driving when there are flooded roads

Are you looking for some inspiration for your reading? In 2018 we'll be holding a 12 book challenge and we'd love you to participate. More details to come...

All Westmeath Libraries will be closed from 4.00pm on Friday 22nd Dec 2017, reopening with usual hours from Tues 2nd Jan 2018. Athlone & Mullingar Libraries will be open for limited hours on 27th, 28th, 29th Dec. Please phone Athlone Library on 090 6442157 or Mullingar Library on 044 9332161 for details. We would like to wish all our borrowers and visitors a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Some advise for coping at Christmas especially if you have suffered a bereavement at this time of the year.