Peter Rabbit thrills youngsters by calling in at Blackpool's Westminster Primary School

The furry friend visited the school as part of International Literacy Day, in arrangement with Merlin which runs the £1m Peter Rabbit attraction which opened on Blackpool promenade in February this year.

The popular literary character featured in five stories by renowned author Beatrix Potter, and subsequently appeared in various TV programmes.

Jenny Campbell, assistant head of Key Stage 2 at the school, on Westminster Road, said: "Merlin supports the children and families at Westminster with wonderful experiences, including the amazing ‘Friends for school’ project.

"So when Peter Rabbit said he'd like to visit us, we hopped into action!"

Debbie Elliot, assistant head and literacy lead said "Engaging children with reading, writing and performing is critical to future success, and making it fun ensures all children engage.

"We have planned a fun and exciting whole school day based on ‘Peter Rabbit’ and his friends spending time reading the books or watching the exciting film versions.

"Some classes wrote new plays, others made puppets all celebrating the wonder of Peter Rabbit.

"Getting all children to read and importantly enjoy reading for pleasure is a key priority at our school as it opens the door to all other subjects.”