It was a day to celebrate at the Woodside Junior School in Amersham as its library finally reopened following a six-month refurbishment project.
Mayor Dominic Pinkney, who attended the event and produced the official ribbon cutting, was helped by renowned Scottish children’s author Alastair Chisholm, who also presented his new book I Am Wolf in a special assembly for the children organised by Chorleywood Bookshop.
The refurbishment project, which cost £13,000, was funded by the whole school raising money through a year-long programme of events organised by the PTA.
Members of the school community volunteered on everything from plastering the library walls to re-cataloguing thousands of books and making a window seat.
The new-look library, which holds more than 2,800 books, is a comfortable space for children to relax and read and provides an inspiring learning environment.
Data published in 2023 showed almost one in seven primary schools in the UK do not have a dedicated library area.
Headteacher Owen Lloyd said: “It’s been a lovely opportunity to get everyone together to celebrate the library and the work that everyone's done.
"Reading is such a vital part of primary education and children’s learning. We hope the library’s going to become a real heart of the school in the future and we look forward to it being used regularly.”
Mayor Dominic Pinkney said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be here to see the enthusiastic kids so excited about the opening of their new library.
"It’s such an amazing space that they're all going to get such enjoyment from.
"I was also pleased to see so many people who had volunteered, giving up their time to make a special place.
"My theme of the year as mayor is volunteering, so it's great to see that so many people helped to make this space happen.”
Mr Chisholm, the award-winning author of the Dragon Storm series, who signed books for children in the library, said: “Opening a library is the sort of thing you don’t realise is on your bucket list until you actually get a chance to do it.
"Libraries are so important to me because they are an absolute store of information, but also of ideas and they help you to make sense of the world.
"Libraries are your access to stories and we all deserve access to stories. Libraries can be anything you want, they just want you to think.”
Jenny Faulkner, Chair of the Governing Board, said: “It’s been a huge effort by so many people in the Woodside community, the volunteers did a superb job on this and we're so appreciative of everything Chorleywood Bookshop does in bringing authors to the school.
"Reading was recognised as a real strength when OFSTED visited last term and judged us as a good school.
"We're so glad that they saw that and I think the library will encourage even more children to read even more books.”
Parents and PTA members Kate Wagstaff and Catherine Wright, who spearheaded the project, said: “The library refurbishment has been the perfect project for the PTA to support - an opportunity to make a real difference at the heart of the school.
"We are thrilled with the redesign which has transformed the space into a light, bright, welcoming room with a fantastic view out onto the school field. It has been wonderful to see the children’s reaction to their new library and hear how excited they are to spend time there and borrow from the brilliant selection of books.”
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