New mobile library takes to streets of Hartlepool

West View Primary School nursery pupil Noah Dowson (aged 4), checks out the new Library Bus, with (left to right) Heather Bellwood, the Councils Childrens and Outreach Librarian, the Mayor of Hartlepool Councillor Mary Fleet and the Mayoress Councillor Sheila Griffin.

The mobile library will take books around the borough to outlying areas and schools which don’t have close access to a library, and to sheltered accommodation, where elderly residents can’t get to their local library.

The new vehicle is part of Hartlepool Council’s library service ,which is taking over from the previous Library Bus.

The bus had been in service for a number of years and had become unreliable due to its age.

The bus was officially launched by the Mayor of Hartlepool, Coun Mary Fleet, when it visited nursery children at West View Primary School, in Davison Drive.

Coun Fleet said: “Whatever your age, reading is a key skill. For residents who don’t have easy access to their local library, the new Library Bus will continue to play a vital role in bringing the wonder of books to them.”