Christ Church Primary School, Newark, receive new books for school library thanks to Morrisons Foundation

Pupils at Christ Church Church of England Primary School, Newark, have received a bundle of new books for their school library thanks to the Morrisons Foundation.

The Morrisons Foundation donation, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, follows a recent study that showed that reading had provided a vital refuge for children during the lockdowns.

59% of children stated reading during lockdown made them feel better, 32% said it helped them when they felt sad they could not see their family and friends, and 50% of children said reading inspired them to dream about the future beyond covid-19.

Jade Chapman and Amanda Biss, community champions from the Morrisons store in Newark, delivered the books to Christ Church.

They said: “We are so proud to be helping children in our community through this donation of books.

“We are living through challenging times and hope these stories will give children at Christ Church some fun and enjoyment.”

Christ Chiurch is one of 497 schools in England, Scotland and Wales to receive book bundles, which includes The Extraordinary Life of Amelia Earhart by Sheila Kanani and The Racehorse Who Learned To Dance by Clare Balding.

The initiative aims to encourage 125,000 children to discover a love of reading on World Book Day.

Over the past three years Morrisons Community Champions have given out 20,000 books to schools in their communities.

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with the National Literacy Trust again to provide books to thousands of pupils across the UK.

“We hope these books for school libraries in our local communities will give enjoyment to children and help to boost their literacy skills.”

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of National Literacy Trust, said: “We are proud to join forces with Morrisons Foundation to provide thousands of books to children who need them most this World Book Day.

“Books have the power to change children’s life stories and the books provided through this fantastic initiative will also provide inspiration and comfort during this continued time of uncertainty.”