Evesham schoolchildren celebrated World Book Day with some new additions for the library thanks to the local Morrisons.

Pupils at Sedgeberrow C of E First School are today enjoying ten new books, donated by the Morrisons Foundation in partnership the National Literacy Trust.

Community Champions at Evesham Morrisons Theresa Tydeman and Teresa Cerra presented the books to the school on Thursday.

They said: “I’m so proud to be helping kids in our community through the donation of these wonderful books.

“The challenges of the past couple of years really have been difficult for us all, but particularly younger children who not only missed out on school, but also just having time with their friends and teachers.

“I hope these stories will give children at Sedgeberrow some fun as well as help them find a love of reading.”

Over 5,000 books have been donated to school libraries across England, Scotland and Wales as part of the partnership between the two charities.

This will benefit more than 130,000 primary school children.

In 2019, 27 per cent of 11-year-olds in England left primary school not at the expected reading level.

This figure rises to 42 per cent for disadvantaged children.

There are concerns that disruption to education caused by the Coronavirus pandemic could halter progress made to address these figures.

The partnership between the National Literacy Trust and Morrisons Foundation aims to support children’s literacy by investing in school libraries post-pandemic.

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation trustee, said: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with the National Literacy Trust again to provide books to hundreds of schools across our local communities.

“We hope these books will provide enjoyment to children and help to boost their reading and literacy skills.”

Jonathan Douglas CBE, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, added: “World Book Day is a great reminder of how important children’s literacy is in developing their skills for the future.

“Our research suggests that around 400,000 children don’t have a book of their own, so we’re delighted that Morrisons Foundation have chosen our charity again and will be donating books to hundreds of school libraries, providing fun and enjoyment to children.”