Students from a Letchworth school enjoyed a bookshop shopping spree on Friday thanks to a £350 award from the Siobhan Dowd Trust.

Thirteen students from Fearnhill School, ranging from Year 7 to 10, took advantage of the grant at David’s Bookshop in Eastcheap – with David’s giving a 20-per-cent discount to make the award buy 57 books worth £420 in all.

The books chosen – ranging from manga to graphic novels and classics with modern covers – will form part of the library collection for all Fearnhill pupils to enjoy.

The grant was applied for by Fearnhill librarian Roshan Hunt, who said afterwards: “This was a great opportunity for students to be directly involved in book buying decisions and choose books for the school that they themselves actually want to read.

“There was a real buzz about the trip and we definitely made some memories for the young people at Fearnhill School.”

Year 10 student Rui Martin added: “It was a fun experience, but it was really hard to make decisions as there were so many good books to choose from.”

The Siobhan Dowd Trust uses royalties from the late author’s books to give youngsters the opportunity to read and enjoy literature.

Fearnhill head Liz Ellis said: “We know how important reading is to future academic success. An enjoyment of books is one of the most important things we can give our students and we place great importance on this at Fearnhill.”

To find out more see fearnhill.herts.sch.uk and siobhandowdtrust.com.