A 'Mega' reward is in store for thousands of county schoolchildren this week after they coasted to success in this year's Pembrokeshire Reading Roller Coaster and Helter Skelter Challenges.
Thirty lucky bookworms will ride Megafobia at Oakwood Park - and meet popular children's author Alan Durant - after taking the plunge to read as many books as possible in six months. Plus more than 2,000 other pupils from 92 infant, junior and secondary schools in Pembrokeshire will receive certificates as proof of their Mega white-knuckle read!
Said Chris Stephens, chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council's reading initiatives group: "The Reading Roller Coaster and Helter Skelter Challenge were set at the beginning of Children's Book Week last October as part of an initiative to sustain the momentum begun during the National Year of Reading. The goal was to read as many books as possible - at least 10 for infants and 12 for juniors and secondary school pupils - for the chance to win a prize and gold certificate presented by children's author Alan Durant at a special award ceremony at Oakwood Park! Plus the opportunity to ride a the world's number one wooden roller coaster, Megafobia!"
To qualify for the roller coaster prize draw, pupils had to read one fiction or non-fiction book from six compulsory categories - classic, adventure, humour, sporting or romantic, fantasy or science fiction and history - plus six free books of their choice. Details were recorded in their own 'Ticket To Read' book and marks out of 10 given for each book. After reading all 12 books, pupils were asked to choose their favourite and write a short review for the chance to enter the draw.
Bronze certificates were awarded for reading four books, silver certificates for eight books and gold certificates for 12 or more.
In total, more than 2,000 schoolchildren qualified for the prize draw, but only 30 lucky winners were drawn to attend the special prize-giving ceremony at Oakwood Park.
The prizes - including family tickets to Oakwood Park and other local attractions - will be presented by Alan Durant, author of the Creepe Hall, Spider McDrew, Little Troll and Leggs United series of books and the event is sponsored by Texaco, Pembrokeshire County Council, Walker Books, Holt Jackson, Cypher, Morely Books and Oakwood Park.
Said Chris Stephens: "This is a one-off opportunity for young readers to meet a published author and ride a world-class roller coaster as a reward for reading books. It has been made possible by the close co-operation between the county's education and cultural services department."