A host of famous actors and writers took part in a night of poetry and readings to raise more than £2,000 for Kensal Rise Community Library.

Brent & Kilburn Times: The library will open in the axed branch in Kensal RiseThe library will open in the axed branch in Kensal Rise (Image: Archant)

The celebrities which included Tamsin Greig, Patterson Joseph, Hayden Gywnne performed at the sell-out fundraiser held at the Paradise Pub in Kensal Green, on Sunday.

They also participated in a Q&A session at the event which was held as part of a campaign to raise £200,000 needed for the library’s running costs.

Proceeds on the night will be injected into the community space within the former council-run branch in Bathurst Gardens, which will open later this year.

The branch was closed alongside five others by Brent Council in 2011 to save £1million-a-year.

Residents formed Friends of Kensal Rise Library (FKRL) to closure and after the branch was axed they launched a successful battle to be allocated space within the building to open a community-run reading room.

Margaret Bailey, chairwoman of FKRL, said: “Once again we are the benefactor’s of enormous goodwill.

“We are grateful to the actors who gave of their time freely to perform at this fundraising event.

“Their performance was tremendous and it was sold out.

“It shows the depth of feeling our community has for the reinstatement of a library at the heart of our community.

“We have along way to go to make our library usable but we will get there.

After nearly five years we have our space and we are determined to make it a library and public space that we can be proud of.”