A NEW community library in Idle, Bradford, opens on World Book Day.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Joanne Dodds will be at the Wright Watson Enterprise Centre to read to eager schoolchildren at the event which starts at 9.30am on March 3.

The theme is "Storytelling, past present and future" and Mike Whitehouse, from the centre will be dressed as Wright Watson, the famous local author and teacher at Thorpe School in 1870, who wrote "Idlethorp".

Children from Parkland and Thorpe Primary Schools will attend the opening and listen to the story telling, including stories told by the Lord Mayor.

The National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford is supporting the new library through the donation of over 100 books and is setting up a Skype session at the launch on World Book Day with one of the initiative’s international supporters, Tutu Dutta, in Malaysia, who will read from her book, Phoenix Song and talk about the importance of storytelling to celebrate different cultures.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, chairman of Inspired Neighbourhoods said: "We are delighted to be opening the library on such a poignant day.

"This will be a great opportunity for people to hear stories throughout the ages dating back to the 1800s from books, the school’s log, right up to the modern method of communicating digitally via Skype."

Cllr Sunderland co-ordinated the creation of the new community facility on the enterprise centre's ground floor, which began when closure of Idle Library was announced a little more than two years ago.

Grants and funding were secured to transform the site of a disused Methodist church in Albion Road, replacing it with a state-of-the art building incorporating seven business units above enough space for public meeting rooms and a library.

Imran Hafeez, manager of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford said: "We are delighted to support the opening of this new community library which will be key to developing local children’s literacy skills through instilling a love of reading in them.

"Libraries are vital in providing a doorway to knowledge and understanding of our world, so I’m looking forward to seeing it become the heart of the community where families can explore the amazing world of books and storytelling."