By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 12:01, Saturday, 02 February 2013

A surprise guest visited a Maryport school to celebrate the opening of its new library.

The Gruffalo and mayor Peter Kendall cut the ribbon to officially open the library

Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo called in at Netherton Infant School to mark the end of their story telling festival – and the opening of a new library.

The library will is set to be run by pupils as book club members act as ‘junior librarians’.

It has been funded by the school and the Foyles Foundation and yesterday’s celebration was also attended by mayor Peter Kendall.

“All the credit goes to the school!” he said. “It wasn’t the council or anybody else who paid for this project and got it done.”

The new library boasts a computer and has fictional and non-fictional books aimed at children aged under seven.

About 50 children and parents took part in workshops and activities and every child got a free picture book.

One of them, Jay Thomson, said he most enjoyed “cutting the cake!”

Bobby Parker and Scarlett Fischer liked the special surprise guest the most: The Gruffalo.

West Cumbrian storyteller Ian Douglas, who attended, said several parents and children had been involved in telling stories which “seems like a very good thing to do during National Story Telling Week”.

First published at 11:06, Saturday, 02 February 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk