HASLEMERE county councillor Nikki Barton joined toddlers from Rainbows Nursery at Haslemere library to celebrate World Book Day.

“It was a real delight to see the children so excited by the wonderful selection of books at our town library,” she said. “It is a fantastic resource for Haslemere and I encourage everyone to support it.

“Surrey is facing funding challenges and this is an asset we really must keep in the town.”

The nursery at St Stephen’s Church, Shottermill, launched a new literacy initiative this year, aimed at inspiring children to have a lifelong love of books.

For the past few months, the kids have taken part in small group visits to the town library on a rota basis, where they are given the opportunity to explore what’s on offer with the help of staff and parent volunteers.

They can read the books they select and borrow some more to take back to the nursery to enjoy. Rainbows’ manager Kim Windebank said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn about what books have to offer. The library is such a child-friendly environment with its welcoming staff.

“We are very lucky to be within walking distance to be able to take advantage of it.”