An author visited a St Albans school to talk to Year 7 students about her writing experiences and sign copies of her book.

Sue Hampton visited Townsend C of E School yesterday. She gave Year 7 students a talk about writing, which was followed by a book sale and signing at lunch time for all the year groups.

The day ended with a story writing workshop for Years 7, 8 and 9, as a reward for students who are particularly excelling in their English lessons.

Students were asked to begin writing a story about a character with something different about them, whether that be in their appearance, or because of a special talent.

The students were then invited to ask Ms Hampton about her experiences of writing and for advice on their own. Faith Haran, a Year 9 pupil, said: "I really liked the workshop because I learnt new methods about how to write stories and how to improve my work, which will be useful for my English lessons, especially next year in GCSE's".