CAMPAIGNERS are moving closer to a new chapter for a much-loved village library that closed last year.

A bid by Silverdale residents and parish councillors to take over the Emesgate Lane building has been accepted by Lancashire County Council.

The library's doors shut last September during major budget cuts that also saw Bolton-le-Sands library shelved - the Main Street property is one of six former libraries now up for sale in Lancashire.

World-famous children's book illustrator Quentin Blake was among supporters of the Facebook campaign to keep Silverdale library open.

Last year the village's library working sub-group - made up of residents and parish councillors - prepared a detailed application to run the building as a library and information hub.

The county council has now offered the library lease to the community, and Silverdale Parish Council accepted that offer at its recent meeting.

To cover yearly running costs of £6,000, parish councillors agreed to increase the parish precept by around £10 per household, depending on their council tax band.

The meeting was told the library will keep its current stock of books and be given a start-up grant of £5,000 as well as £1,000 per year for IT.

Existing and new cardholders will be able to order books online from the county council's catalogue and collect them at the library, for free, while scores for choirs and play scripts will also be supplied.

Help will also be given by a community support manager for at least two years.

Silverdale parish councillor John Bennett thanked the library sub-group for all its hard work, and residents at the meeting expressed their 'overwhelming view' of support for the library project.

An opening date has yet to be announced.

and Whalley.