A community bookshop run by volunteers is celebrating five years in business, just in time for Independent Bookshop Week.

Between the Lines, in Vine Street, Great Bardfield, was created in 2013 by villagers Janet Dyson, Jenny Rooney and Carolyn Russell.

Since its formation, the bookseller and coffee shop has gone from strength to strength, and despite an uncertain market, Mrs Dyson is optimistic about the facility's future.

She said: "It is not easy to run an independent bookshop in the current climate.

"People can massively undercut you on price and a lot of people buy their books over the internet now.

"It is a real struggle and when we first opened one bookshop was closing a week in the UK.

"But our experience is that the tide has turned a bit and people are coming back to bookshops."

Sunday marks the start of the UK's Independent Bookshop Week, and Mrs Dyson feels Between the Lines shows the success which can be had if an independent finds a successful formula.

She said: "Bookshops are lovely things to have and any time when you can draw attention to them and celebrate them is a brilliant idea.

"There are lots of independent bookshops in the world but you do not see too many in villages.

"We get people passing through the village on their way to somewhere else and they are often delighted to find us.

"We are here and we are open every day - we advertise books, coffee and conversation."

The shop may only be small, but volunteers find time to serve coffee, run a mail order system for books and a children's book club even takes place at the venue once a month.

She said: "We are lucky because we are run by volunteers and we have had massive amount of support from the village.

"We love running the shop and we love our customers."

Visit www.indiebookshopweek.org.uk.