THE leader of a council which is trying to create an army of volunteers to run community services has stepped in to help launch a library service at a village hall.

Councillor Carl Les helped a new library collection being set up at Booth Hall in Catterick Village take delivery of its stock of 350 books.

As part of Volunteers’ Week, which runs until 12 June, Cllr Les went to Colburn library to collect boxes for the new local collection.

Cllr Les, who is the local member for Catterick Village, said: “Local collections are a fantastic way to bring the library service to more rural areas of North Yorkshire which may not otherwise be able to easily access a library.

"There are 17 local collections across North Yorkshire in buildings ranging from village halls to a pub. Books are chosen based on selection profiles completed by each group in response to the needs of their community.”

The books provided by the council’s library service for local collections are refreshed every three months with a book exchange delivered by volunteers.

Details of Volunteers’ Week can be found at volunteersweek.org and information about opportunities to volunteer with your library can be found at northyorks.gov.uk/libraries