New forest-themed library unveiled at Oxfordshire school

Edward Feild Primary School in Kidlington unveiled the forest-themed reading sanctuary on April 17 after a major fundraising campaign and a burst of community effort.

Jo Cotterill, an award-winning author and patron of the Oxfordshire Book Awards, officially opened the new space, which holds 2,500 books and replaces a 30-year-old library.

Ms Cotterill said: “This new library is so cheerful.

“A library was always my safe place; there is something truly special about being in one.

“The fact that you can borrow books for free and read them is simply amazing.

“In a library, you can go on adventures that you can’t go on in real life – you might not come out the same person who went in.”

During the event, she read from her first published book, Moondance, and donated a copy to the new library, along with her latest title.

Scott Lewis, headteacher at Edward Feild Primary School, said: “This isn’t just a room with books; it’s a sanctuary.

“I want to say a huge thank you to Jo Cotterill for inspiring us today, and to the Friends of Edward Feild.

“We owe so much to our volunteers, who helped us achieve the impossible by getting this all done in just 12 days.”

Assistant headteacher Chris Tupling said: “The woodland theme was a deliberate choice to bring the calming, imaginative benefits of forest school indoors.

“In a year where we are celebrating the joy of reading nationally, this library provides the perfect environment for our pupils to develop a lifelong love of literature.”