A LOTTERY-FUNDED project will aim to make the Bodleian Libraries more welcoming to people with learning disabilities.

Schoolchildren across Oxford will get to explore the famous libraries and even catch a screening of Fantastic Mr Fox inside the 400-year-old building.

The North Sea Crossings Project, led by Bristol University, has just won a £163,100 lottery grant to bring the scheme to life.

The project aims to make academic institutions, such as the Bodleian Libraries, more welcoming to young people and particularly those with learning disabilities.

Director of operations at Heritage Lottery Fund, Eilish McGuinness, said: “The North Sea Crossings project represents an exciting and imaginative approach to involving children and young people, particularly those with disabilities, in a relatively unexplored corner of heritage.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, pupils will get the opportunity to pick up some fantastic skills and we welcomed into space they may never have thought to explore otherwise.”

Oscar-winning studio Aardman - famous for Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep - will also be partners and will run a series of animation workshops with youngsters.

It is hoped that while children know about the Fantastic Mr Fox they may also discover the Dutch trickster wolf Reynard, who inspired Roald Dahl and other hidden gems the Bodleian has to offer.

The three-year project will begin with the new academic year in September.