{"id":103370,"date":"2026-05-01T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/mcivortimes\/?p=103370"},"modified":"2026-04-29T22:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:57:08","slug":"pick-up-a-piece-of-fruit-with-your-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/mcivortimes\/news\/pick-up-a-piece-of-fruit-with-your-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Pick up a piece of fruit with your books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>FREE fruit is now available at Heathcote Library thanks to a program run by Bendigo Community Health Services&#8217; health promotion team.<\/p>\n<p>Library staff are inviting everyone to visit, pick up a book and take home a piece of fruit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our free fruit stand is well stocked with bananas, apples and oranges,&#8221; library services officer Ange Graystone said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We also have lots of snacking carrots and cucumbers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We would love to see everyone come in, browse our books, then take some home along with a piece of fruit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What could be better than a delicious apple or banana to accompany a book by your favourite author or a new discovery?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Although we have temporarily relocated due to the Heathcote Community Hub redevelopment, we still have an extensive range of fiction and non-fiction, adult and children&#8217;s books.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_103376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103376\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-103376\" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/05\/Librarysportequipmen_27323-1-rotated.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-103376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sports equipment is still available for loan from the library in its temporary location. Photo: Supplied.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The library is located in the Mechanics Institute-Senior Citizens Hall and also has CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers available.<\/p>\n<p>Regular services at the library are still in place, including public PCs, printing and the popular Baby Rhyme Time and Storytime sessions.<\/p>\n<p>The Sports Equipment Library remains available for loans.<\/p>\n<p>Although the equipment isn&#8217;t on public display due to space limitations, it is all securely stored and staff can access items on request.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a display in the library that outlines the full range of equipment available.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;People sometimes think the sports equipment has disappeared because they can&#8217;t see it,&#8221; Goldfields Libraries coordinator Elise Wright said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But it&#8217;s absolutely still there, just ask us, and we&#8217;re more than happy to get it out for you.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our Seed Library continues to support home gardeners and anyone curious about growing their own food.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Patrons can borrow seeds, grow them out, and are encouraged to save and return seeds for future borrowers, helping to build a shared, locally adapted collection.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A range of library books on gardening, seed saving and sustainable growing are also available to borrow.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Seed Library is about more than just seeds, it&#8217;s about learning, sharing knowledge and giving people the confidence to have a go at growing, whether they&#8217;ve got a big backyard or just a few pots.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Heathcote Library is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm, and on Thursday from 9.30am to 5pm.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FREE fruit is now available at Heathcote Library thanks to a program run by Bendigo Community Health Services&#8217; health promotion team. Library staff are inviting everyone to visit, pick up a book and take home a piece of fruit. &#8220;Our free fruit stand is well stocked with bananas, apples and oranges,&#8221; library services officer Ange [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/mcivortimes\/news\/pick-up-a-piece-of-fruit-with-your-books\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215,"featured_media":103374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-103370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pick up a piece of fruit with your books - 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