Porlock Library took on a new persona when over 300 local people streamed through its doors as part of the village’s Late Night Shopping event.

Gone was the quiet browsing for a book normally associated with libraries, as people struggled to make themselves heard with the festivities.

Young visitors queued to have their faces painted, adults watched a 3D printer demonstration and picked up bargains in the Big Book Sale, while volunteers circulated throughout the evening with Christmas chocolates.

The small library, tucked away at the end of the village High Street, has proved a success story after Porlock Parish Council entered into a partnership with Somerset Library Service earlier this year, to safeguard its future.

A changing stock of books and DVDs continues to be supplied by Somerset Library Service, but day-to-day operations are conducted by a team of 20 local volunteers on behalf of the parish council.

In recent months they have re-energised Porlock’s library by redesigning its children’s area and creating more space for perennially popular crime novels.

Parish councillor John Ware said: “We consider the library to be a vital part of the community so we were very pleased to be able to reach an agreement with Somerset Library Service, which ensures the continuing presence of a library in Porlock for the foreseeable future.”

West Somerset library supervisor Sara Long said the volunteers in Porlock had been a big part of the local library service for some years: “But I have been very impressed with how they have risen to the challenge of taking on extra responsibilities since the new agreement was signed earlier this year.

“My team in Minehead will continue to provide advice and support, but the volunteers have really embraced the idea of becoming more self-sufficient, and it is evident they are taking pride in being able to offer a professional library service to their very loyal community of library users in Porlock.”