A SUPERMARKET charity has backed World Book Day in York after making a generous donation to a school in the city.

Children at Hempland Primary School will celebrate World Book Day this week thanks to a donation of new books for their library from the Morrisons Foundation.

In addition to helping pupils with their literacy skills, the donated books have been specifically chosen to cover topics that are relevant for the development of a child’s mental health, their emotional wellbeing and social inclusion.

Wendy Davis, Community Champion at Morrisons Foss Islands store in York, donated the books to the school. She said: “It’s great to be able to help encourage children to read with their friends, families and teachers and I hope that they enjoy reading the books for many years to come.”

The foundation has partnered with the National Literacy Trust to donate 5,500 books to help more than 100,000 primary school children.

World Book Day will be held on Thursday March 2 this year.