Money raised for gutted library

All the contents of the library were destroyed in the fire in Ramsgate

Residents who vowed to act after their library was destroyed by a fire a week ago, have already raised £2,500 to restore the building.

Ramsgate Library burnt down in a fire late on 13 August, with the loss of thousands of books, several paintings and historic artefacts.

The residents started fund-raising by selling photos of the fire outside the building in Guildford Lawn.

They now want the Restore Ramsgate Library Fund to get charitable status.

Harvey Defriend, a spokesman for the fund, said the community wanted to do something positive to help rebuild the Victorian library.

He said: "[After the fire] there were people in tears and there have been people in tears on a daily basis ever since and it was with that emotion we felt we needed to do this.

"We are determined that this thing we started with the fund will be very much a bottom up organisation."

More than 100 firefighters fought the blaze, which may have been started deliberately.