Watch as children react to the 'amazing' enchanted forest library their fundraising created

Pupils at Fatfield Academy were joined author and illustrator Liz Million to officially open and unveil their new school library which was created thanks to the fundraising efforts of the children themselves.

With reading dens, tree stump seats, artificial grass, and Julia Donaldson's Stick Man, all set to a backdrop of a collage of trees, cascading streams and colourful flowers, the new library transports the children to an enchanted forest and the ideal environment to spark their own literary imagination.

The £4,500 needed to create the transformation was raised by the children themselves, after they participated in a colour run in October.

It was the first time the children had seen the library - despite a number "having tried to get a sneak preview" during its construction - and the fairy tale setting certainly seemed to have the desired effect.

Year 6 pupil Oliver Cruickshanks, 10, said: "I really like the forest and I was shocked to see how many books there are. I enjoy reading and I think the library will really spark my imagination."

Classmate Georgia Blythe, 10, said: "It feels amazing to see the library and the forest will be a great place to read.

"We will be going to secondary school soon, but hopefully this library will be here for children to use for many years."

Year 3 pupil Rosie Merrison, 8, added: "I felt super amazed to see the library and it really gets your imagination going.

"I like all the dens and cubby holes and it's amazing to think we created this with the money we raised."

After officially performing the ribbon cutting ceremony, Liz, who will have her own book corner in the library, said: "I think this new library is absolutely fantastic and shows the dedication of the teachers who created it.

"When I walked in my eyes were assaulted by all the colours and textures. It's a fantastic area for reading and for a child's imagination to come alive.

"A lot of older children stop reading. It's a fundamental skill and it's really important that children develop a lifelong love of reading."

After the opening ceremony, Liz took part in a number of workshops in which the children created illustrations of different forest characters which will now take pride of place in the new library.

Calub Lynch, 7, said: "I was super excited to take part in the workshops with Liz. The new library will provide a calm and relaxed environment to sit and read."

While the funding was generated by the children, the library was brought to life by the skill and hard work of the staff, with teaching assistant Ms Sinclair in particular giving up evenings after school to create the forest setting.

Leading the project was the school's reading lead, Matt Stewart, who said: "It was great to see the shock and surprise on the children's faces when they came into the library.

"Lots of familiar children's stories are set or start in an enchanted forest and so we thought this was a really good hook to engage our children."

Headteacher Nicky Dowdle added: "I'm really proud of the staff who brought this together and it was inspiring for the children to have Liz here today.

"It's so easy to get lost in a book and reading is essential to opening up the whole curriculum."