Children in Wisbech were treated to a visit from The Duchess of Cornwall who presented them with 50 new books to inspire the future generation of bookworms.
Her Royal Highness, who is patron of The National Literacy Trust, visited Wisbech & Fenland Museum yesterday (November 27) to celebrate the wealth of local activity that is taking place to improve the literacy skills of children and families in Cambridgeshire.
The Duchess presented excited pupils from Elm Road Primary School with their very first literacy toolkit which contains 50 brand new books, fun activities and materials to help children develop a love of reading at school and at home.
Elm Road Primary School is the first of 24 schools across Cambridgeshire to receive a literacy toolkit gifted by professional services company KPMG.
The toolkits will help to inspire more than 6,000 children to read for pleasure and will provide schools with 1,200 brand new books.
The pupils of Elm Road Primary School were also treated to a fun-filled storytelling session with children’s author Marcia Williams, based on her retelling of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
The session was inspired by the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, which is one of the many treasures on display at the museum.
Graham Lockwood, principal at Elm Road Primary School, said: “Our pupils were absolutely thrilled to meet HRH The Duchess of Cornwall today and to be gifted a fantastic literacy toolkit, filled with lots of brand new books and exciting materials that will no doubt inspire every pupil in the school to get reading. “And what an extra treat for the children to be able to meet Marcia Williams – an author whose books they have been reading this term. Having Marcia bring her retelling of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to life was truly magical! This is a day Elm Road Primary School will never forget.”
Children from Nene Infants School recited a poem to the Duchess which they had written about Wisbech as part of a two-week poetry festival run by Wisbech Reads in October.
Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, said: “What an incredible day we’ve had in Wisbech, showcasing lots of the fantastic work that is taking place to improve the literacy and communication skills of children and families in the local area.“
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