A DEVIZES junior school took advantage of World Book Day to unveil its new library which is stocked with hundreds of titles to boost children's imagination.

Nigel Andrews head of Southbroom St James Academy welcomed the new archdeacon of Wiltshire the Ven Sue Groom to declare the new library open on Thursday.

She also presented the school with a number of new books.

Mr Andrews said: "The opening of this library was the culmination of lots of hard work from staff which was led by Sarah Byford our literacy leader.

"We aimed to create a inspiring space which instils a lifelong passion for reading. The new space includes murals of book characters and a 'reading bus' which will feature a range of authors to introduce the children to."

He said the destination of the bus is unknown but guided by each child's imagination.

He praised Mrs Byford and other staff for their work to get the library read and everyone was delighted with the result.

He said: "The library got the wow reaction from the children that it deserves. The library will continue to develop and through this engage learners in the joy of reading. We hope to add a reading garden to our library space.

"Following some renovation work over the summer, we were able to relocate the library to a new space. Following an audit of our stock and the purchase of 100s of new books, we have had nearly 5500 books catalogued for children to be able to scan out using a barcode reader."

Friends of Southbroom helped pay for the library and they were supported by parents and children who attended a range of fundraising events.

Mr Andrews said: "Children and staff dressed as their favourite book characters for the day to celebrate World Book Day but also to celebrate the launch of this new resource which we hope will impact on learning for years to come."