Members of the Oldbourne Book Group have presented a book sack to Princess Margaret Hospital.

The brightly coloured sack contains a children's book, various props and an audio tape which book group members have organised to help bring the story to life.

Hospital liaison teacher Megan Brown, who is in charge of organising education for the youngsters admitted to the 26-bed Thames Children's Ward, said: "These sacks are a very good educational resource and will be valuable for key stage 1 children at the hospital.

"This came about because I gave a talk to the Oldbourne group about how useful these story sacks are, and they have very kindly put this together for me."

She explained that education in hospital provides children with a welcome distraction from their illness.

"Children are familiar with school work and this can help them overcome their worries about being in a strange environment. Obviously for those children who are in here for a longer period, continuing education is vital."