AN INCREDIBLE fundraising campaign to transform a school's library has raised more than £18,000 - and is nearly at its target.

Parents and teachers at Redlands Primary School, on Lydford Road in east Reading, set up an appeal to give the library a new lease of life.

They are hoping to raise £20,000 and now within reaching distance thanks to more than 382 donations from kind-hearted people across the town.

Their efforts received an extra boost by a charity comedy night, held at South Street Arts Centre last month, where best-selling author and comedian Sara Pascoe, Vanessa Hammick, Hajar Woodland and Charlie Baker helped raise £3,700 for the school.

Explaining why the appeal was set up, a fundraising page reads: "Help us bring our school library into the 21st century. Our school library needs renovating and modernising. We need up-to-date books that support the curriculum.

"We need new seating that allows the children to explore in a way that reflects best practice regarding literacy in primary education. And we need to repaint the walls.

"As a small one-form-entry state primary school, we simply don’t have the money to pay for the library ourselves. We are lucky to have a dedicated teaching team who are passionate about delivering a reading-rich curriculum. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the library facilities to match."

The funds will go towards 2,000 new books for the children, new modern shelving units for them to be displayed on and improved lighting and seating and paint to redecorate.

The appeal continued: "The children at Redlands have put a significant amount of thought into how they would like their library to look and how they would like to access it. The upper and lower school have designed murals and elements of the library which we would like to include.

"They would also like a local author to launch the library that they have invested so much of their energy into."

The library plays a special role in the school. Redlands has a higher-than-average percentage of children with additional needs and learning difficulties. More than 40 per cent of families come from BAME backgrounds, 72 per cent of children speak English as an additional language, and there is a high percentage of children who are entitled to free school meals.

The appeal added: "We therefore need to create an effective, well-resourced, interactive learning environment for the children, which supports all children and families; no matter financial status, educational need, first language spoken or cultural background.

"We are looking to develop our reading curriculum offer and access to reading. This hinges significantly on children's ability to read at an age-appropriate level and interrogate texts appropriately."

The benefits of reading in childhood helping children develop language skills and literacy, build empathy, and learn how to handle challenging feelings.

But worrying statistics show reading for enjoyment is at its lowest since records began, according to the National Literacy Trust. According to their data, almost 60 per cent of children are not opting to read in their spare time. While shocking statistics show that just one in five children have read with a family member over the past four weeks.

Children in receipt of free school meals have the lowest reading enjoyment levels, further widening the attainment gap.

Hundreds of people have donated to the appeal, sharing messages in support.

One person wrote: "All children should have access to reading books. Good luck."

While another added: "Remember when the government used to fund schools properly? Libraries are vital. Good luck with the fundraising."