New role for librarian

Amanda Gibbons and Kelly Scarrow from Mainstreet Whanganui. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

There's a new face at Mainstreet Whanganui.

Kelly Scarrow, formerly a librarian at Gonville Library, is now in charge of marketing, promotions and events at Mainstreet. She takes over temporarily from Amanda Gibbons, who is on maternity leave until February.

And while a move from librarian to events management may seem unusual, for Mrs Scarrow it's not.

"A lot of the stuff I did at the library was around people - just like I'll be doing at Mainstreet. It's just that the environment is different," Mrs Scarrow said.

"I'm sad to be giving up the library, but I'm also excited. When this job at Mainstreet came up it just seemed too good an opportunity to pass up."

Mrs Scarrow will have plenty to keep her occupied during her time at Mainstreet, including the annual Christmas Parade, late night Christmas shopping and Festive300 shopping promotion. Mainstreet will also be involved in the Festival of Cultures in October and Whanganui Vintage Weekend in January.

"We also have some new events lined up, which will be revealed soon," Mrs Scarrow said.

Mrs Gibbons said Mrs Scarrow was a "natural fit" for the position.

"When we interviewed Kelly, what shone through was her heart, her passion for community," Mrs Gibbons said.