A PRIMARY school has welcomed an author to open their new library. 

Pupils from St Mary's School at Kells in Whitehaven were visited by Helen Haroldsen who opened their new library. 

Helen is an author who has close ties with the school, she came along to cut the ribbon and read a picture book to the children. 

The reception and year 2 classes all sat together as they listened to Helen reading to them. 

They then presented flowers and presents to the parents and governors who helped to make the new library possible. 

Claire Davidson, the deputy head and year 2 teacher, said: "It's really good and the children are enjoying it, we just wanted to develop a love for the pleasure of reading. 

"We did some parent workshops just before the half term, so parents have been in to see it. 

"There seems to be a bit of a buzz around reading because of the revamp. 

"Our governors and a group of parents have come in and painted for us, one of them has cut down the shelves and built a seating area for us, another has built book boxes, so it's been a real community spirit around it."

Whitehaven News: Helen cutting the ribbon Helen cutting the ribbon (Image: Newsquest)

The library has a fairytale and magical theme with lots of different characters and pictures on the walls. 

The colour scheme is green, making the room look like a fantasy forest. 

Ms Davidson continued: "To decide on the theme we got a company involved who helped us to choose. We felt that we wanted something that was timeless and used characters that have been around for a long time. 

"Helen's done lots of work with us as a school, she has worked with our year 6 class, and they created an audiobook, and she talked about the author process with the classes. 

"Because we have a good relationship, we thought she was the perfect person the inspire the children further."

The library is being dedicated to Robert Golding who was a school governor that sadly passed away. 

The school was so pleased with how much Robert did for them that they wanted to show their appreciation by dedicating their library to him.