IT WAS almost Supermarket Sweep for students at the Cooper School in Bicester as they were given free rein to find £500 worth of books.

Students from several year groups were invited to explore Coles Bookstore in Crown Walk on Tuesday after the school was handed hundreds of pounds.

Bookworms sifted through the shop to dig out the latest book trends and find what fantasy tales grabbed their attentions.

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The Cooper School head of English Sarah Sparshott said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to browse and explore their reading options and a wonderful chance for the school library to continue growing and developing.

“The enthusiasm of the students was fantastic, as was the help and knowledge provided by Coles Bookshop.”

Oxford Mail:

Some 20 pupils sifted through the bookshelves and were allowed to choose which books to take back to the school library.

The books that were ultimately selected and whittled down from the treasure trove of offerings at Coles Bookstore would then be available for children to borrow from the school library on loan.

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The event was made possible thanks to a recent gift from the Siobhan Dowd Trust.

The spending-spree funds were awarded to the secondary school by the trust which is dedicated to helping to provide more and support greater reading opportunities for children.

Oxford Mail:

The school says the ‘amazing offer’ has helped increase the diversity of books at the Cooper School library, and it is hoped the new books will help the school encourage more children to read for pleasure outside of lessons.

Year 9 student Evelyn Hilton was among the students who enjoyed delving in the storybooks of Coles Bookstore on Tuesday.

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She said: “I really enjoyed my visit and the chance to pick books.

“There were so many lovely books to choose from.”

Coles Bookstore has been in the town for almost 30 years and most recently has expanded into a bigger shop in Crown Walk.

Oxford Mail:

It moved just metres away from its former site in Crown Walk and is now is based next to the WHSmith store towards the back of Sainsbury’s.

The bookstore hosts events, book signings and offers a host of different genres for all ages.

For details coles-books.co.uk