HARRY Potter, Fantastic Mr Fox and the Lord of the Rings are all gracing the shelves of one Weymouth school’s new library.

Staff, volunteers and students at Radipole Primary School in Weymouth have spent time going through all their old books and refurbishing and rejuvenating their library.

The library was closed for several months to allow staff to go through the piles of books. Old books were donated to Weldmar Hospicecare Trust and then new books were then brought from the charity.

The Rotary Club donated six new children’s dictionaries and charity Sue Ryder helped with book donations.

The library has new furniture and even its own ‘Li-bear-ian’ in the form of Rolo, a teddy bear, that young readers can read out loud to build their confidence.

Headteacher Veronique Singer said that it was important to ‘instil a love of books’ into the students.

Librarian Alison Oakes said she was excited about the future of the library and hoped they would have special book days and authors in to speak to the children.

She said the whole stock of the library had been ‘overhauled’ and the children were looking forward to checking out the new books.

She said: “We got rid of hundreds of books because they were old and tatty.

“Everything now is brand new.”

She added: “It’s looking fantastic.”

South Dorset MP Richard Drax came into the newly refurbished library to talk to the children.

They asked him questions about what his favourite book was when he was their age.

Mr Drax replied: “My favourite book is Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely adored that book.”

Mr Drax asked the students what their favourite books were and the children replied that they loved Roald Dahl classics like Fantastic Mr Fox but the clear favourite was the Harry Potter series.

Mr Drax paid tribute to the staff and volunteers who had worked so hard to refurbish the library.

He said: “It’s wonderful the school has a library. Reading is a vital part of any child’s education.”

He added that it was important to encourage a love of books at a young age.

RADIPOLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

THE community school caters for boys and girls from the age of four to 11 years.

The school has 14 classrooms, a large hall, a well-equipped ICT room, library, swimming pool and large grounds.

There is also a nature reserve, complete with a protected woodland and meadow.

Radipole Primary is a Rights Respecting School – meaning that they put the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of everything.

The school also has a school council, through which children are ‘encouraged to participate in decision making on issues, which affect them, and to develop aspects of citizenship and social responsibility.’