Konnie Huq opens new library at Shrewsbury school
Children at a Shrewsbury primary school got a special visit this week as author and broadcaster Konnie Huq opened their new library.
The longest serving female Blue Peter presenter joined pupils and staff at Pontesbury CE Primary School on Monday to open the new library, as the school aims to encourage more children to read for pleasure, not just for school.
Beth Rowe, deputy headteacher at Pontesbury CE Primary School, said they wanted to create a special place in the school for reading and they were delighted to have Konnie Huq cut the ribbon.
"We want children to leave school loving reading," she said.
"We place a really high priority on reading for pleasure in school, as well as having good reading grades.
"We also wanted to create a very special reading environment and give the children a chance to enjoy being around books in a social space."
The school aims to invest in good books and create a book-loving community among its students.
"Our plan is to make it available to parents with young children, so they can come and use it when they are picking up their older children from school," she said.
"We want to build a whole school community of readers, and hope to develop reading clubs with families. It will be a beneficial space for the community.
"We have a brilliant community library here in the village but wanted to make sure our children had access to one here as well.
"There are some very excited librarians and reading ambassadors at the school now the library is open."
Konnie also hosted a science experiment for more than 200 pupils, with 85 children from Trinity School in Ford also attending, ahead of her new book release this week - Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World.
The event was organised by Button and Bear Bookshop in Shrewsbury, which helped to train staff and support the school in its future hopes for the library.
