Bishop Nicholas Hudson blessed and officially opened the new school library at St Anne’s Primary School, Whitechapel, on 30th September.
The blessing ceremony was attended by pupils, staff and parents of the school, the Chair of Governors, Mrs Vicki Spencer and Fr Tulio Wavginiak from St Anne’s parish in Underwood Road. The children led the singing and readings during the service and in a short homily, Bishop Nicholas spoke about the importance of books and reading and impressed the gathered pupils by showing them a book that has been passed through his family for 400 years. The book is the New Testament written in Greek and was published in 1628.
It is no bigger than a cigarette box and the children were very interested in its size and age. Bishop Nicholas thanked all those who had helped with the construction of the library, from the diocese for helping to fund the project to the staff and parents who supported the school’s efforts. He then proceeded to bless the new library and all those who will use it now and in the future.
The space on which the library has been built was previously an unused tarmac quad in the middle of the school grounds. As well as books on a number of shelves, there is space for additional books and shelves to expand the library and computers to help develop IT skills.
