VILLAGERS from Grappenhall got to go back into their library on Saturday – more than 12 months after it closed.

The Victoria Avenue building shut last year following council cuts, with Town Hall bosses saying it was one of the least used libraries in town.

Unbowed, a group of volunteers formed the Friends of Grappenhall Library – determined to see it reopen.

And on Saturday, an open day attracted large crowds of visitors, keen to see what has happened.

Sheelagh Connelly, who ran the Amsterdam Marathon to help raise funds for the library, said being handed the keys meant the hard work would start now.

She added: “It looks great with all the books in place.

“I said to one of the other volunteers, ‘wow, we have a lot of books’ and she told me that’s what should be in a library’!

“We are just really excited to see how it works now.”

Visitors got the chance to chat to the group and register to become volunteers. While a competition is under way to rename the building.

The volunteers are hoping the library will become more than just books with plans for senior citizen groups and other community activities all in the pipeline.

It will be open Mondays and Tuesday afternoons and Thursday and Saturday mornings.