A NEW chapter for the county’s library service opened up this week with two communities launching book lending services of their own.

Brimfield and Orleton lost their mobile library link to council service cuts earlier this year. But both have wasted little time is setting up an alternative, with the council’s support.

Some 20 communities have expressed an interest in what Brimfield and Orleton are doing and an innovative handful are now not too far away from making it happen.

John Chedgzoy, the council’s libraries manager, said the schemes coming forward so far were all specific to local needs.

The common factor lay in trying to tie library provision into regular community events like village hall coffee mornings, he said.

The volunteer backed Brimfield scheme, for instance, has Helen Thomas, the methodist minister who started it, collecting the books from Leominster to a monthly order.

Each month Helen will order set up an order and what doesn't get borrowed goes back to Leominster.

“I thought it was important to enable people to retain access to books. So many things in villages are limited and people aren’t able to get out much – its important to retain services where we can,”

said Helen.

The mobile library made its last run on September 30 after 60 years on the road and with around 1,000 registered users.

The plan was to boost home delivery options for the service’s books while local groups worked on ideas for localised lending services the council could support.

Along with Brimfield and Orleton, other communities looking at running a similar scheme include Fownhope, Longtown, Ewyas Harold, Wellington and Much Dewchurch.