A HOSPITAL charity has donated books to five primary schools.

Airedale Hospital and Community Charity representatives visited the pupils to deliver a range of health-related publications.

Topics covered by the books include how to look after your health and wellbeing, what to expect when you visit a hospital, how the body works, and feelings and diversity.

The schools to benefit are all within Airedale NHS Foundation Trust's catchment area – Bradleys Both Community Primary School, East Morton Primary, Stanbury Village School, St Michael and All Angels at Foulridge and All Saints, Ilkley.

The donations were made to coincide with celebrations for World Book Day and as part of Airedale Hospital & Community Charity’s Acts of Kindness campaign.

Jodie Hearnshaw, the charity manager, said: "We were delighted that we could take our Acts of Kindness campaign on the road again, for a second year.

"Our local schools and young population are hugely important to us, so we wanted to extend an act of kindness to show them how special they are.

"We love World Book Day at Airedale, and with this project we wanted to highlight the importance of reading and creativity.

"Giving back to our community by donating books about being healthy and understanding what it is like in a hospital has been a fantastic experience. We enjoyed meeting the children and seeing them dressed up as their favourite book characters!"

Schools across the district celebrated World Book Day.

A wide range of activities was held.

Some pupils dressed as characters from popular children's books, and others enjoyed special storytelling sessions.

World Book Day was created by UNESCO in 1995 as a global celebration of books and reading, and began in the UK two years later. It is now marked in more than 100 countries.

Airedale Hospital & Community Charity is the official charitable arm of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.

In its latest annual report, it spotlighted a bumper year of fundraising.

Around £429,000 was coined-in between April 2021 and March last year.

A host of activities was staged by supporters.

Thanks to the efforts, plus donations and grants, the charity was able to fund a wide range of items and projects to improve the patient experience and staff wellbeing.

In total, the charity spent a combined £232,000 on staff and patient welfare, and £19,000 on medical equipment.

For further information about Airedale Hospital and Community Charity, go to airedalecharity.org.