THE mayor of Bicester paid the town's library a visit to award young volunteers with certificates this week. 

The team of secondary school-aged volunteers were presented certificates of appreciation by the town mayor, Damien Maguire and the deputy town mayor, Jim Webb. 

The certificates were to celebrate the achievements of the team of volunteers who have spent the summer working on the Summer Reading Challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge is a national scheme that runs every summer in libraries. 

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Its aim is to encourage primary school age children to read books and use libraries during the summer holidays.

As the children read their books, they are encouraged to tell staff or volunteers all about the books they have been reading and they are then rewarded with stickers and small prizes. 

Once they have completed the challenge, they receive a medal and a certificate. 

The reading scheme boosts the children’s confidence with reading and helps improve their literacy skills for when they go back to school in September.

The volunteers role was to present the reading challenge to the children and their parents and to enrol them on to the scheme.

They had to use a range of social skill to engage with the children they were talking to so that they felt encouraged to continue with their reading and motivated to complete the challenge.

They were presented with the award in recognition of their commitment and dedication to delivering the reading scheme.

"They have been a brilliant team," said Darius Welsh, who works at Bicester Library.

"It has been a pleasure to watch them working and growing in confidence over the summer and I have seen a lot of wonderful moments where the children the volunteers have been talking to have beaming smiles because of the recognition they have got for continuing their reading. 

"This is because the volunteers have been dedicated enough to make sure that the children left the library feeling proud of their reading skills and confident to continue to improve.

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"I am very proud of them."

Mr Welsh some of the volunteers had to push themselves out of their comfort zones during the scheme.

He added: "I know that Councillor Maguire and Councillor Webb were impressed with the work they were doing and the positive impact that this has on the community."

"The volunteer team were also invaluable assisting in the Libraries programme of Summer activities such as Robot coding events, Lego Clubs, Treasure hunts and a week of Greek Mythology themed activities inspired by the Percy Jackson books, hosted by our Saturday assistant Lily."