A first of its kind book festival was held at Marr College earlier this month.

Primary 6 pupils from the Marr Cluster including Barassie, Dundonald, Muirhead, Struthers and Troon Primary Schools were invited to attend.

S2 pupils from Marr College participated in the running of the fantastic event.

The group experienced a jam-packed morning full of activities aimed to get young people excited about reading, including visual merchandising and marketing sessions, illustration workshops, competitions, virtual reality sessions, and a pop-up Waterstones book shop.

There were also some special presentations by published authors Lindsay Littleson and Martin Stewart.

Lindsay is a former primary school teacher who writes books for the 8-12 age group. Martin, who was previously an English teacher at Kyle Academy in Ayr, writes fiction for children, young adults, and adults. 

The Marr Cluster Book Festival was delivered in partnership with the South Ayrshire Reads programme, which aims to raise attainment in literacy across South Ayrshire.

The organising of this event will also contribute towards Marr College's bid to achieve Gold Reading School Accreditation from the Scottish Book Trust.

Depute Chief Executive and Director of Education Lyndsay McRoberts said: "The first ever Marr Cluster Book Festival was a great success.

"Marr College is determined to build upon its credentials as a Reading School and aim for the next milestone. This event was a big step in the right direction.

"The pupils engaged with the activities and competitions, and thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic author presentations. I'm sure many will have left with a list of books they're excited to read!"