SCHOOLS in Wellington have received hundreds of pounds worth of book vouchers after residents filled in a survey asking them what they thought about the town and how it could be improved.

The town council promised £200 of vouchers to all the town’s five schools if it had more than 500 responses to the survey but that total was nearly doubled with almost 1,000 returns.

Wellington Mayor Mark Lithgow, who went along to the schools to present the vouchers, said: “I am delighted to be able to visit all of our schools to give them their vouchers as it gives me the chance to thank them on behalf of the town council for the fantastic job they do. The last 18 months have been particularly challenging for them, so to give them a chance to buy some new books is an absolute pleasure.”

Claire Joyce, headteacher at Beech Grove Primary School, said: “We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation of book tokens to the school. This money will enable us to purchase some new stock for our library for the children to enjoy. Reading is a huge focus for us this year and we are keen ensure the children have access to current and inspiring books to motivate them as readers. Thank you to Wellington Town Council for your support.”