David Wheater, along with staff members from the Bolton Wanderers Community Trust, joined pupils at SS Simon and Jude Primary School in Great Lever on Thursday afternoon to celebrate World Book Day.
An event which took place as part of Premier League Primary Stars Programme, the Whites’ No.31 presented the school with a PL Reading Stars book box packed with popular titles chosen by the National Literary Trust.
He also, along with the BWCT staff, led some shared reading sessions with various age groups, with Wheater reading extracts from Fantastic Mr Fox.
Prior to his arrival meanwhile, staff members from the club’s Community Trust – led by club chaplain Phil Mason – took part in a special book character dance-off with each of them having donned special costumes from their own favourite books.
Speaking following the event, Steve Obertelli, Development Officer –PL Primary Stars for the Trust, said, “We thoroughly enjoyed sharing World Book Day with the pupils of SS Simon and Jude Primary and sharing our love for reading.
“It was great to see all the children be so enthusiastic about reading and having the opportunity to dress up as their favourite characters really captured their imagination.
“Having David Wheater come down meanwhile was a great way to encourage the youngsters to read more, with the bonus of having a well-known footballer only adding to the positive experience of the day itself.”
Wheater echoed Steve’s sentiments meanwhile, adding, “It was great to see all the kids so excited about reading – it’s hugely important and is a crucial life skill.
“I read to my own little girl all the time and she loves it, especially books like The Little Mermaid and Frozen – it really is great to see the children getting in the spirit and World Book Day has definitely had a positive effect on them all.
“There was a lot of thought and effort which went into their costumes and hopefully the excitement of the day will encourage them to read more in the future.”
If any schools are interested in having the Bolton Wanderers Community Trust deliver the free-of-charge PL Reading Stars Intervention in their school, please contact sobertelli@bwct.org.uk.