Children let their imaginations run free at a workshop hosted by renowned storyteller and author Marion Leeper.

She spent the day at Lavenham Community Primary School in west Suffolk yesterday as a precursor to the three-day Lavenham Literary Festival, which will take place this weekend.

All 109 pupils at the school were enthralled as they were inspired to create new worlds in their minds, complete with heroes and heroines with dangers to overcome.

Part of the run up to the festival, the event was designed to involve readers of all ages in the “brilliant world of books”.

The school’s literacy co-ordinator Craig French said the day began with an assembly where the children learned about creation stories. A workshop followed where they took part in activities including ‘sculpting’ each other into their own interpretations of wind, water and fire.

Mr French said: “They looked at creation stories from different cultures around the world and Marion got them to physically create different worlds in the school hall. They had to decide in their imaginations what their world would look like and then in groups of four, they wrote their stories.

“The children enjoyed it very much because Marion is a captivating storyteller and she makes it suitable for children of all ages.”

Pat Rockall, chair of the Lavenham Literary Festival organising committee, said: “We have been running the festival every other year since 2009 and each time we have arranged for something to take place at the school during the run up.

“The idea is to foster the love of literature, which is already a strong part of the culture of this school.”

The theme will continue in lessons for the rest of the week.

The Lavenham Literary Festival will run from November 13 to 15.

For more information on the festival, visit www.lavenhamliteraryfestival.co.uk