VOLUNTEERS and members of Sully and Lavernock Library celebrated the first year of the facility becoming community run.

On Saturday, September 2, volunteers and library members were entertained with a range of special activities at the library on South Road.

Sully and Lavernock Community Library Trust took over the running of the library from the Vale council in the summer of 2016

It followed a Vale council agreement to hand over five libraries in the county to community groups in a bid to save more than £500,000.

The move also saw an extension of opening hours in Sully from11am-6pm on Tuesdays, 3-6pm on Thursdays and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

At the event last weekend, there were craft and story-telling sessions for younger members and older members were treated to a talk by American author Kyra Kramer who said she thoroughly enjoys living in Sully.

She gave a brief overview of her historical books on Henry VIII and mis-represented Queens and then in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen gave visitors an in-depth account of her book Mansfield Parsonage which retells the story of Mansfield Park from the perspective of Mary Crawford’s hopes and aspirations, and shows how Fanny Price’s happily-ever-after came at Mary’s expense.

Helen Turner from Penarth said: "I couldn’t wait to start reading Kyra’s novel Mansfield Parsonage after hearing her talk about Jane Austen and her novels.

"Her research into the politics and social conventions of the day reveals a whole new level of interest in Jane Austen’s stories."