Mini library opens at Westbury station

A small library has opened at Westbury railway station, giving passengers of all ages the chance to pick up a book for their journey.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) Little Library opened on Tuesday 4th August as part of a summer reading initiative aimed at encouraging children to keep reading during the school holidays. Following the success of the scheme, the Westbury library will now remain at the station permanently and has books for both children and adults.

The initiative was launched following research which found that one in five parents report their children’s reading levels and confidence drop during the summer holidays, without the structure and routine of the school term.

Operating on a give-and-take basis, the library allows passengers to pick up a book for their journey, swap an old favourite or leave a finished story behind for the next passenger.

The Westbury library is in the waiting room on Platform 1, with a dedicated shelf for children alongside an adult collection.

“We’re so pleased to have a GWR Little Library here at Westbury,” said GWR Duty Station Manager at Westbury Jo Frayling. “We love to encourage people to read and take a book on their train journey.

“We’ve already got an adult shelf full of books and now we have a specific one for children which is just fantastic. It’s in the waiting room on Platform 1 and we’d love children to come along, exchange a book and take it on an adventure with us.”

Children’s author Nat Harrison recently visited the Westbury library to read from her debut novel, The Girl Who Raced the World, before signing copies for children and donating books to support the initiative.

She said, “I absolutely love GWR’s Adventures in Reading campaign – what a cracking idea! The Girl Who Raced the World is a perfect fit for the Little Libraries, with so many exciting journeys on trains around the world.

“It was wonderful to visit Westbury and share the story with young readers – hopefully inspiring a few more adventures of their own, whether on the page or on a train!”

GWR Head of External Communications Dan Panes said, “Nat’s book is a brilliant fit for our Little Libraries, and it’s lovely to see her passion for books, adventure and the railway come together. We hope her visit inspires even more young passengers to pick up a book and get lost in a story on their next train journey.”

GWR’s Little Libraries are also located at Didcot Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Gloucester, Penzance, Plymouth, Reading, Swindon, Truro and Worcestershire Parkway.