Hayley MaceOffering a glimpse of Kessingland's seaside heritage, Victorian bathing suits were the uniform of choice for staff celebrating the opening of the village's new library yesterday.Hayley Mace

Offering a glimpse of Kessingland's seaside heritage, Victorian bathing suits were the uniform of choice for staff celebrating the opening of the village's new library yesterday.

The new library, in the Marram Green community building off Hall Road, opened to the public for the first time yesterday and staff adopted a seaside theme to welcome visitors to the new building.

The library has been moved out of the village primary school, where it had been based since 1986, into the new modern complex where there is three times more space for additional stock and activities.

Library manager Sandra Knights said that the �60,000 refit has transformed the service for local people, with 95 boxes of new stock having been unpacked.

She said: 'Now we've got more space, we've got a larger collection of DVDs, computer games and audio books. We have been able to nearly double our stock in some areas.

'Kessingland is the biggest village in Suffolk so it deserves really great facilities like this. The building is so nice and bright, it gives the library a great atmosphere.'

She said that staff decided on a seaside theme in order to make the first week of the new library fun for workers and visitors alike.

The library has a teenage area with a comfortable sofa and a music station so that people can listen to CDs through headphones before borrowing them.

There is also space for children to play and look at picture books and a shop selling greetings cards, calendars and small gifts.

The Marram Green building also includes a caf�, offices for Kessingland parish council and 32 very sheltered flats which are being managed by Suffolk Heritage Housing Association.

The new library is open from 2.30m to 7pm on Tuesdays, from 10am to 5pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9.30am to 1pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 3pm on Sundays.