A BITTER-sweet meeting drew a line under the fight for Nunthorpe library this week.

Campaign group, the Friends of Nunthorpe Library, held a final gathering to decide how to dispose of a £5,000 surplus from its fundraising efforts.

It was agreed to divide the cash between the village's four primary and one secondary school, with the proviso the money is spent on books.

"This was a happy way to end things," said spokesman, Coun Brenda Thompson. "At least children in the community will benefit."

The Friends raised nearly £40,000 in their fight to save their library from closure.

The fund achieved a year-long stay of execution from Redcar and Cleveland council, which wanted to shut down the library to cut costs.

The library building now is boarded up and offered for sale after a bid to find a community use for it fell through.

Coun Thompson said Friends filed past the boarded-up building on their way to Tuesday's meeting at the community school.

"It was a sad and subdued meeting and clear our job was ended," she said. "But we celebrated what we had achieved by working together. New friendships have been formed and sustained and you can't put a price on that."

The group's accounts had been audited and showed the £5,000 surplus, accrued through savings and some items being lower than budget.

The five schools will now get about £1,000 each.

"In a way it was a happy ending, fitting the spirit of raising money for reading," said Coun Thompson. "This will be a nice windfall for the school budgets.

"The campaign showed just what we can achieve when we work together as a team for a good cause. It proved we can do it and we have done it."