A CHILDREN'S author paid a special visit to a nursery near Shipston to celebrate National Story Telling Week.

Julie Fulton, who penned the ‘Ever So’ series of children’s books, dropped into Winchcombe Farm Day Nursery, in Upper Tysoe, and read all three of them during his visit.

“Encouraging children to read for pleasure from a young age is so important," she said. "Research by the charity Booktrust has shown that children who have this opportunity are more likely, as adults, to own their own home, stay in continuous employment and trust others in their community.

"How amazing is that?!’

Rachel Giorgio, Winchcombe Farm Day Nursery Manager, said: “We read stories to our children every day but this was extra special as the books were read by the author herself. We were so pleased she was able to join us and share her stories with us.

“We are supporting National Story Telling Week to underpin our ethos of encouraging children to develop their literacy skills in exciting and different ways, as well as cultivate their imaginations and encourage them to become interested in books as young as possible”.