LEARNERS at the Wessex Learning Trust were treated to some exciting new additions to their school libraries this term, courtesy of the Cheddar Vale Lions Club.

The club paid for Wedmore, Axbridge, and Cheddar First Schools to all receive copies of Ellie Jackson’s ‘Wild Tribe Heroes’ series of books.

The books are all environmentally themed and follow the lives of six well-loved animals as they encounter problems caused by people (for instance Nelson – the whale – who gets stuck among wreckage; or Sunny – the koala – who has to escape a bush fire) and seek to introduce children to the importance of looking after the world, and the problems of climate change in an accessible and age-appropriate way.

Ellie Jackson is a Cornish author who, after spending time living on Magnetic Island in the Great Barrier Reef, was inspired to write her books having witnessed the release of a turtle called Duffy following a year of treatment for plastic ingestion.

This, and other stories, feature in the series and show the real-world effects that humans have had on the habitats of these beautiful creatures.

In addition to all the fantastic stories, all the new books are beautifully illustrated by the talented Liz Oldmeadow and Laura Callwood and bring to life these incredible stories in a way that we know the children are going to love.

The Trust is very pleased to have been able to collaborate with the Lions Club to make these fantastic stories available to our children, and hope that they will inspire the next generation to keep up the fight against the climate crisis.

Suzi Smith, headteacher at Cheddar First School, said of the Lions’ donation: “We are really thankful to the Lions Club for donating these books to us, and really look forward to working with our children to engage them in the inspiring and important stories that they tell.
"Judging by the children’s initial excited reactions, we have no doubt they are going to be in high demand in the library for many weeks and months to come.”

Cheddar Vale Lions President, Keith Cook, added: “We are immensely proud to be able to provide these fantastic books to the children of Wedmore, Axbridge and Cheddar First Schools.
"To be able to support a local author, as well as help inform the next generation of the challenges of climate change is a brilliant opportunity, and one we hope the children will really enjoy.”

The Cheddar Vale Lions handed over the new books to learners at a series of presentation events at the schools and we cannot wait to see what the children are inspired to do once they are able to get to grips with these brilliant new books, which have been endorsed by Richard Attenborough and Prince Charles for their environmental credentials.