A LIBRARY visit is not normally comparable to the fun of a beach day out with – unless you have taken a trip to Darlington Library recently.

The town’s Crown Street library hosted its own Library by the Seaside events over two days in August to complement the Market Square’s Darlington by the Sea attractions.

The event saw the children’s area of the library transformed into a small-scale beach, complete with buckets, spades and performances from award-winner magician Graeme Shaw and puppeteer and storyteller David Watterson.

The Library by the Seaside was just one of many events running at the borough’s libraries over the school holidays as part of the Darlington Libraries Summer Activity Programme.

Other activities have included storyteller sessions, the Silverband Mammal Show, craft sessions, Alice and the Mad Hatter tea party, Barnardo’s Big Toddle, multi-sensory storytelling, and Groundworks play sessions.