Teesdale pupils help launch Peter's book

A NORTH East building society is supporting young people in the area with the launch of a children’s book.

The book was written by children’s author and Darlington Building Society ambassador Peter Barron, and all proceeds will go towards

the Darly Children's Foundation, a newly-created fund set up to boost literacy in the region.

The story features the character Darly, the mascot who supports children to save regularly with the society.

The proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to purchase books for schools in the region, continuing the society’s commitment to support the area it serves.

The book, released to coincide with the first birthday of Darly, tells the story of the steam train’s adventure through history.

Darly’s Magical History Ride was launched at The Hullabaloo, the only dedicated children’s theatre outside London, in front of society staff and guests including Darlington councillors.

Children from Green Lane school, in Barnard Castle, and Cockfield primary school also took part.

The launch event also featured a reading of the book by Mr Barron, a former editor of Darlington newspaper The Northern Echo.

He said: “Writing for a company with a reputation for investing back into the community made this project especially exciting for me.

“As a father of four, I understand the importance of children reading and letting their imaginations run wild.

“Books introduce children to wonderful new worlds, expand their vocabularies, and inspire them to be creative themselves.”

Darlington Building Society chief executive Colin Fyfe said: “We are all very proud to be able to make a difference to children locally by creating the Darly Children’s Foundation and sharing the proceeds of the book.

“Darly has become really popular with our regular savers and we are delighted that Peter has been able to bring our little train to life this way.”

Darly’s Magical History Ride is available from Darlington Building Society.