BOOKWORMS in Rossendale have been spending every spare minute reading after joining a new book club.

A group of 10 and 11-year-olds from Stonefold primary school, in Rising Bridge, are taking part in a pilot scheme to encourage children to enjoy reading. The project, The Booked-up Book Club, is being tried out in six schools across Lancashire and could eventually be used in all of them.

Children at Stonefold asked for the club to be held three times a week and have even given up their lunchtimes and after school time to read the new books that have been selected from a Lancashire Schools' Library recommended list.

Teacher Audrey Foster, who is running the scheme in conjunction with the library service, said: "The scheme has been great for them. They are now using a lot of their spare time to read. The children read at their own pace and have a small amount of written work or drawing to do as part of the project."

The book club is part of the Raising Achievement project, which is sponsored by the Lancashire Schools' Library Service and locally funded by Action for Haslingden.