CHILDREN'S Book Week brought together an author, elderly care home residents and primary schoolers for an intergenerational workshop.

Author D J Cattrell was the catalyst for 20 children from Colchester North Primary School and residents of Alderwood care home to indulge in their shared love of popular fiction.

After being polled on their favourite childhood books, the interactive workshop saw children reading passages from their favourite Roald Dahl books - Matilda, the BFG and the Twits - and residents reliving their childhoods with Alice in Wonderland.

The theme of the annual initiative this year was Read Now, Read Forever.

Gazette:

D J Cattrell looks at a book with Leo Tota, 8, and Joan Evans, 93

Ron Spencer, 94, read Alice in Wonderland over and over again as a child.

He had very few books and remembers saving coupons from a daily newspaper.

"When you had collected 100, you could trade for a book," he said, which is how he acquired his copy.

Wyn Upton, 90, recalled a book called Struwwelpeter that scared her.

It was a German book written in 1845 and described as cautionary tales for children.

Another resident said: “It used to cost half a crown to buy books which was a lot of money, so we didn’t get new books too often."

Gazette:

Eileen Gunnel, 88, with Eddy Birsan, 8, and Jayden Ayres, 8

Cattrell, who is the author behind two children's favourites the Bucket and the Bag, also taught the group how to structure and write their own stories.

Colchester mayor and mayoress Peter and Ann Chillingworth also exercised their creative muscles.

Nikki Leaney, manager of Alderwood said: “Preparing for this workshop and running the poll in the home has really stimulated some interesting discussion and memories."

The 100th year of Children's Book Week runs until today at book shops, libraries and schools across the country.