VOLUNTEERS who helped put smiles on children’s faces over the summer have been thanked by the council for all their hard work.

The annual Summer Reading Challenge, which took place across Swindon this year, encouraged children to read up to six different books to help develop their reading skills.

And on Tuesday morning more than two dozen volunteers met in North Swindon Library for a coffee morning and to listen to a talk by Steve Antony, children’s library patron and local award winning author and illustrator of children’s books.

Steve said: “It makes such a massive difference having a group of dedicated volunteers.

“I used to go to the library when I was a kid and it had such a profound impact on me. I was inspired by all the books they had on how to draw, and it is that which encouraged me to follow my passion.”

Steve, who was born in Swindon but spent much of his childhood in the United States, is the author and illustrator of eight books, some of which include Please Mr Panda, Green Lizards vs Red Triangles and, fan favourite, The Queen’s Handbag.

This year, the challenge, known as the Big Friendly Read, celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl and was aimed primarily at four to 11 year olds.

Addressing the volunteers, Sara Steel, from West Swindon Library, said: “On behalf of everyone at the library, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their hard work. You sent so many children home with huge smiles on their faces and the feedback we had from parents was absolutely brilliant.

“You have all been so flexible and we really do appreciate the many hours you have dedicated to the challenge. Please come back and visit us.”

Rhonda Dempsie, one of the council’s outreach officers, said: “Today is simply a way of saying thank you to all the volunteers who helped out during the summer reading challenge.

“We want to thank them for all their hard work as we couldn’t have done it without them.”