WATCHET Community Bookshop closed its doors for good last year – but now it has been granted a new lease on its marina-side building.

And it is making an urgent appeal for more books in time for its re-opening on March 24.

Both the bookshop and Watchet Tourist Office had been given notice to quit the former harbour office by West Somerset Council, which announced plans to refurbish the property and let it at a commercial rent.

“When we closed after Christmas a lot of people assumed we had shut the doors for good and the supply of donated books almost dried up,” said the charity’s chairman Jeff Bird.

“Now we are back in business again, serving the town and our charities, but we desperately need more books and also hope that our sponsors, who pay £30 a month to support the organisation, will rally round – as they always have.

“We sold 14,000 books last year and at the moment we have only 8,000 in stock, so it’s vital to build up our supplies.”

After serving the town for 34 years, the volunteer-run tourist office finally closed its doors last October.

Now the bookshop has been able to negotiate a lease on the entire building until December: “We are finally secure for the next nine months and we are optimistic that there could be possible funding solutions for the future,” Mr Bird said.