Sharing stories helped to bridge the generation gap.

Walmsley CE Primary School pupils visited  Egerton Manor Care Centre, dressed as characters from their favourite books.

They enjoyed an afternoon of storytelling.

The mixed age group of 20 children from Year Five and Year Six, along with class teachers and community leaders, brought a selection of books to read with the residents.

Residents at Egerton Manor gathered in the lounge to greet the group of children aged between nine and 11 years old, proving that age made no difference when sharing a love for books.

The Bolton News: Egerton Manor resident, Graham Gibbons, age 93, added: “I have always loved books and still enjoy reading, so it was a real joy to see the school children today, learn about their favourite books and share some popular stories with them.”

The afternoon was great fun for all, with residents from Egerton Manor sharing readings from their favourite books and sharing memories of their childhood, with the young children, whilst some of the junior children read paragraphs and passages from their favourite texts.

Martha Hamill, registered manager at Egerton Manor, said: “Over the last three or four months since our beautiful new home opened and welcomed its first residents, we have slowly built a lovely relationship with the pupils at Walmsley Primary School.

The Bolton News: “World Book Day provided the perfect reason to invite them in again and it was wonderful to see how much fun everyone had in each other’s company sharing their favourite stories.

“Intergenerational activities such as these have such a positive impact, not only on the wellbeing of our residents, but also for the children. 

“You are never too old to enjoy a good story and seeing the residents read with the children really was lovely.”

Teacher and community lead at Walmsley Primary School, Jenni Brookes, said: “We place a huge focus on reading within the school curriculum with the aim of instilling a lifelong love of books and stories with all of our children. 

“World Book Day is a great opportunity to celebrate everything that we love about reading, and to be able to share it with the residents at Egerton Manor made it all the more special, proving that reading is for everyone whatever your age.”