PUPILS at Eldene Primary put on a royal welcome for a special bookcase on Friday after it was donated by The Duchess of Cornwall.

In celebration of Her Royal Highness’ 70th birthday, the Duchess donated 70 brand new bookcases stacked with children’s books to 70 schools across the country.

Eldene Primary was one of the lucky schools to get their hands on one after being nominated by the Wicked Young Writer Awards in recognition of their work to get children reading for pleasure.

Headteacher Heather Kellett unveiled the bookcase to pupils during a special assembly on Friday.

“We were so excited when we received an email in the summer informing us that we had been nominated for one of the Duchess’s bookshelves for the work the school has done in recent years in promoting ‘reading for pleasure’ amongst our children.

“We all know that reading is a vital skill but there is nothing like the enjoyment of getting lost in a good book.

“Aside from the thrill children experience from using their imagination when they enjoy a book, reading is crucial in developing children’s self-esteem, confident and motivation.”

The Duchess of Cornwall is patron of the charities involved in the bookshelves project including the National Literacy Tryst, Beanstalk, BookTrust, First Story, Roald Dahl Literary Estate and the Wicked Young Writer Awards.