Thursday March 4 marked the highlight of so many school calendars in the Cheddar area – World Book Day.

This year however - as with so much else - the usual celebrations, dressing up, and activities had to take a new, Covid-safe form.

Despite the adversity, the schools of the Wessex Learning Trust stepped up to put on a show, celebrating the joy of reading and encouraging a love of books in all its learners aged two all the way up to 19.

Due to the current circumstances, some schools did elect to postpone their events until children return next week, however for those who did go ahead, there were many events to get involved with.

At Axbridge First School, children were invited to take part in an Extreme Reading Challenge – photographing themselves reading in the most unusual locations possible. This included in a tree, on a shelf and up a slide.

As well as this, throughout the week staff were sharing their favourite books with classes and organising virtual bedtime stories over Zoom and a hot chocolate.

There were also a number of competitions for the children to get involved with to get them talking about their favourite books.

There was a very special guest at Cheddar First School as Peppa Pig came to visit critical worker children at the school.

Children also got involved in creating a character out of a spoon and guessing the member of staff reading an extract of Oi Frog in the style of The Masked Singer.

Chief executive, Gavin Ball, said: "I am really happy to see so many children engaging with reading and discovering all the joys that books have to offer.

"Although World Book Day celebrations couldn't take place quite as we would hope, I am nevertheless very proud of our schools for making such a sterling effort at keeping the magic of the day alive online, and in the classroom."

Reading for just 20 minutes a day will translate into children hearing 1.8 million words a year and having read for 851 hours by time they start Year 7.