Lowestoft area primary school pupils are presented with new dictionaries

Dictionary 4 Life project in Lowestoft. Roger Harrod and Andy Fuller, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Anglia, attended the presentation at Westwood Primary School. The photo shows Roger on the left and Andy on the right, with some of the pupils ready to receive their dictionaries. (Image: Archant)

Every pupil in year-three at primary schools across the town has been presented with their own copy of an illustrated dictionary as part of an ongoing project to improve child literacy levels.

With a recommended retail price of £14.99 – which would mean a total cost of almost £15,000 to buy one for every year three pupil – this project has only been made possible because of the bulk buying by Rotary Clubs throughout the world, along with the generosity of sponsors locally.

The dictionaries arrived in Lowestoft in May and were delivered to the schools last month. Rotarians visited all the schools to present each year three pupils with the dictionaries.

This is the fifth year that the Rotary Clubs have presented dictionaries. It has ensured that about 3,600 primary school children have their very own Dictionary 4 Life.

The sponsors include the PYE Foundation, Roger Harrod's Karpet and Furniture Kingdom in Lowestoft and Persimmon Homes Anglia, while Suffolk county councillor Sonia Barker gave part of her locality budget.

Co-ordinator of the Lowestoft Dictionary 4 Life project, Rotarian Paul Tabiner, said: 'We are delighted that once again we have been able to support our local primary schools in their efforts to improve child literacy levels.

'The pupils are always absolutely thrilled to receive their very own illustrated dictionary and we hope to be able to continue this project for many years to come.'

? Have you got a story for Schoolzone? Email mark.boggis@archant