WRITERS, journalists and illustrators met young readers to launch a school literary festival.

Bookworms at Larkmead School, Abingdon, invited Paul Mayhew Archer, TV scriptwriter for The Vicar of Dibley; Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials trilogy; writers MG Harris and Julie Hearn; illustrator David Melling; and Mark Edwards, sports editor of the Oxford Mail, to share their love of reading.

Mr Pullman helped to launch an 80-page anthology featuring the work of pupils.

Pupils joined workshops yesterday, ranging from cookery inspired by Grimm’s fairy tales to songwriting. School librarian Frances Stott said: “The majority of the school was involved.”