Students across the district celebrated the day with a variety of activities centred around the literary world. World Book Day brought 380 pupils from Nursery to Year 8 and all the staff together at Westbourne House School in Chichester. Westbourne House School Head of English, Miss Fisher, said: “World Book Day is a personal highlight for me every year and this might be my favourite yet. It’s on days like today that we really get to showcase and celebrate the powerful imaginations of our pupils and the importance of reading and books in their education. Across the school, stories were read and listened to, books were debated and characters created. Everyone made such an effort to dress up and we raised over £400 for Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) earthquake appeal set up to help all those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in Turkey and Syria.” World Book Day is a charity with a mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. Tokens worth £1 are being handed out and a new line-up of books has been released for 2023, available from booksellers. Since it was first celebrated in the UK and Ireland over 25 years ago, the day has grown to become an essential calendar fixture for schools, settings and communities. It provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, supporting children's autonomy in book choice, and embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits.