Children from a Malling primary school enjoyed a performance of one of the county’s top pantomimes after excelling with the a popular literacy scheme.

Lunsford Primary School’s Lion Class were given free tickets for Beauty and the Beast at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone in recognition of their dedicated approach to the KM Charity Team’s reading-reward challenge Buster’s Book Club.

The club uses a spirit of friendly competition to encourage children to read more at home. Classes and schools compete against each other to record the most home-reading minutes, with trophies, tickets to leisure attractions, and celebrity story-time sessions awarded to the winners.

Speaking after the visit, Lunsford office manager Mrs K Mead said: “Lion class were delighted to win a whole-class trip to the Hazlitt Theatre.

“Reading in Lion class has a high profile, and the children are brilliant at sharing their stories at home.

“We couldn’t quite believe that we had read enough minutes to be able to win such a fantastic prize.

“The pantomime was brilliant and we sang and clapped along. One of our favourite parts was when they made a cake! It was really messy!

“We were also surprised with a shout-out to Lion class and two birthday messages.

“Thank you so much Buster’s Book Club. We had the best day and we will definitely keep up our reading at home to win more amazing prizes.”

Buster’s is supported by the Education People, Golding Vision, Specsavers, Leeds Castle, Diggerland, Hornby, Wildwood, Rotary, Acorns Read and Grow, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Buckland Media and Medway and Kent councils.

Schools interested in signing up with the club should contact coordinator Kay Devine by phoning 01227 475966 or emailing Kdevine@thekmgroup.co.uk.

And you can find out more about Buster’s at www.bustersbookclub.co.uk.