Chitty Chitty Book Book - Lancashire mobile library vans get wacky new names

Reene Taylor with her grandson Flynn Taylor-Hunt (9)
Photo: Tom Bradley — Reene Taylor with her grandson Flynn Taylor-Hunt (9) Photo: Tom Bradley

The county council’s library service asked Lancashire’s literature lovers to choose their most popular names from a specially compiled shortlist earlier this month.

And the book-borrowing public showed their love of a pun when it came to totting up more than 2,000 votes for the winning names.

The first three of six new mobile libraries will be called The Borrowers, Chitty Chitty Book Book and the Hardbacks of Notre Van.

One of the new vans and driver Mike Fletcher and Marel Urry Local Parishes Councillor.

Photo: Tim Bradley — One of the new vans and driver Mike Fletcher and Marel Urry Local Parishes Councillor. Photo: Tim Bradley

The vehicles will be based at Garstang, Clayton Green and Ormskirk.

The county council’s six-strong mobile library fleet is being totally replaced, with the remaining three vehicles expected to go into action later in the year.

County Coun Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for community and cultural services, said: “People certainly got involved with this, and joined in the fun to choose their favourite - we even received many more name suggestions as well. We are grateful for these, and we’ll include some of them in the shortlist when we compile that for names for the other three vehicles.

“I’m hoping that people will spot the new vehicles with their catchy names and smile. Hopefully this will prompt them to step inside and visit.

“We’ve invested over £800,000 in these new vehicles which clearly demonstrates our commitment to this service. We know how much the mobile library service is valued by our customers, and in the last year alone nearly 113,000 books have been borrowed from our mobile libraries.”