Heartbeat village in Yorkshire to get a new library 52 years after the first one closed

A village in North Yorkshire famous for its appearances on the TV show Heartbeat is to get its first library since 1966.

England were world champions on the football pitch when Goathland's village reading room closed, to be replaced only by occasional visits from a mobile library.

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The village in the North York Moors stood in for Aidensfield in the rural drama Heartbeat - which coincidentally was set during the same decade that the old library shut.

Now a group of volunteers have joined together to staff a new community library to replace the mobile lending service - which stopped calling at Goathland in 2011.

North Yorkshire County Council have supported the venture, which will be accommodated inside the community hub building.

There will also be film nights and a small cafe.

Chairman of the project Keith Thompson said:

“Effectively, 52 years on we have come full circle. We have a volunteer group of 10 to run it and of course it’s open to anyone in North Yorkshire.

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“Hopefully, it will become more than just a library for those who use it. Visitors can have a coffee, sit in the sun outside and socialise.

“We are also planning to hold film shows using material from the British Film Archives as well as putting on talks on various subjects at the Hub.”

The official opening takes place at 2pm on December 12.