Dermot O'Leary makes surprise visit to Blackburn school

TV presenter and household name, Dermot O'Leary made a surprise visit to a Blackburn school, talking about his love for reading.

Westholme School students were pleased to welcome the TV presenter as he spoke on his literary passions and new children's book, Wings of Glory. O'Leary conducted his presentation on the school's Croston Theatre stage, speaking to pupils about the characters from his new book and sharing pictures from his own childhood.

This helped to illustrate the important moments that shaped his love for reading and the inspirations behind his novel. The presenter spoke about his father during his formative years, who brought a computer home one day which he would use to write stories and charge neighbours 5p to read them.

READ MORE:

• Coleen Nolan's 'stupid' admission as she opens up on house move 'nightmare'

• Christine McGuinness emotional as heroin addict dad walks unaided for first time

Trips to the local library also helped O'Leary to fall in love with the written word, saying his favourite books include classics such as The Snowman, Father Christmas and Fantastic Mr Fox. Talking about Wings of Glory, he said: "I wanted to teach children about history but in an entertaining way. I love history and animals and wanted to combine the two.

"In 2015 I had the good fortune of making a documentary about the Battle of Britain and I met former RAF Wing Commander pilot, Tom Neil, who was called up at age 19 to fly. He left such an impression on me that I based one of the characters in Wings of Glory on Tom."

The pupils were also lucky enough to benefit from writing tips too. O'Leary said: "Don’t just think writing is for the classroom. Write at home too. And, if you have a good idea, make sure to write it down so you remember it and you then can come back to it and add to that idea."

Towards the end, the children were treated to an excerpt from Wings of Glory and a step-by-step guide from the illustrator, Claire Powell who shared tips on how to draw the lead character, Linus. During this, pupils were invited to partake in a draw-along activity and O'Leary saw as many of the pupil's drawings as he could.

Interim Principal, Mark Upton at Westholme School, said: "It was a great thrill to welcome Dermot O’Leary to Westholme – he was both humble and inspiring and our students thoroughly enjoyed hearing about his love of reading and his tips for writing. He was kind and considerate with his answers to their questions, and made effort to speak with as many children as possible.

"At Westholme, we strive to bring inspirational people into our students’ holistic experience, and Dermot’s visit will be talked about by all for years to come."