The P1-3 pupils at St John’s Primary School were also given three new beanbags to enhance the school’s library space by house builder Lovell.

Head teacher Alison Hope said: “World Book Day is always an exciting time for our pupils, so these vouchers were greatly appreciated by all the younger pupils at the school.

“Reading is an extremely important part of education at all levels but instilling an interest and passion for books at an early age is a great start for any child as they progress through their educational journey.

“Our pupils were also delighted to be asked by Lovell to come up with ideas to create their very own dream home.”

Teachers from each class picked the top three entries, and representatives from Lovell visited the school to award each child a book voucher for £5, £10 or £15 to spend at a high-street bookshop and to view the dream home drawings.

Tony Rankin, Regional Managing Director for Lovell, said: “It’s fantastic to see our local schoolchildren so engaged in reading, and their drawings of their dream homes really resonated with us – our aim at Lovell is to keep delivering high-quality homes to meet the needs of residents.”

“We’re pleased to support the local community in Hamilton through encouraging creativity and literacy by celebrating World Book Day with St. John’s Primary School.”

Lovell’s Glow Garren development provides a welcome boost to the council’s plans for the creation of affordable homes as part of its Strategic Housing Investment Plan which is supported by grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Sharon Egan, Head of Housing at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The love of books is a gift that all children should enjoy so I am delighted that Lovell is making sure that pupils at St John’s Primary School will be able to use these vouchers to buy a book that they will love.

“And not only will the children benefit from this gift, but their local book shop will also get some additional footfall which will hopefully increase in the years to come as the children grow up with the joy of books.

“So, a big thank you to Lovell for helping make World Book Day even more special this year for pupils at St John’s. And the competition to design their own dream home will encourage them to think about what an ideal home means for them.”