Manchester: Best-selling author inspires young writers

Nationally-acclaimed author, Tom Palmer, recently visited Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester to talk to students there about his books. He was able to use his stories about football and World War One to inspire and encourage the students to enjoy reading on a regular basis.

The author with his warm, honest and humorous approach, successfully engaged with the group of students in a positive conversation about reading and writing. He spoke to them about his journey as a writer, his writing, themes, books and the inspiration for his ideas.

"It was a pleasure to have Tom Palmer visit the school," said Mrs Irena Savova, Librarian at Saint Paul's. "Tom spoke to children about tales of his school days, football, rugby and the soccer-loving soldiers of World War One. His workshop was extremely engaging, he is very keen to encourage children - particularly reluctant readers - to read a wide range of fiction. Tom was very engaging and imaginative and so really appealed to the pupils."

"We want the pupils to understand that anything is possible if you put your heart into it and that reading can be 'cool'. We are keen to convey the message that it doesn't matter what you read, just so long as you read something which interests you. The more you read, the greater impact it will have on your life."

"The pupils really enjoyed their time with the author, Tom Palmer," commented Mr Jamie Sharrock, English teacher and Saint Paul's literacy coordinator. "They were enthused and inspired by what Tom shared with them about the life of an author, and asked some very interesting and thought-provoking questions. I am now looking forward to seeing how they transfer this learning into their creative writing!"

"I was delighted by the interest shown by our pupils about Tom's writing. The visit has inspired our pupils to want to read, write, and learn more about the process of writing," added Mr Mike Whiteside, Deputy Headteacher at Saint Paul's. "The experience of having an author visit the school is one of the valuable gifts we can offer our pupils. It brings to life the magic of books and the joy of reading in a very special way."

LINK

Saint Paul's Catholic High School: www.st-paulshigh.net