STAFF and students at a school near Colchester were delighted to welcome a renowned children’s author.

Nick Butterworth visited Littlegarth School to see children from the nursery through to Year 2.

The award-winning author talked about what inspired him to become a writer and where he gets his ideas from.

He described the magical feeling which is got from opening a new book to start a new adventure.

Year 2 teacher Sharon Crouch said it was a great day.

She said: “Nick Butterworth is a true gentleman who relates to children and adults with such ease.

“He drew such lovely pictures and made us laugh as he took us on his creative journey.”

“The day was a huge success.”

Mr Butterworth is best known for his Percy the Park Keeper stories which have sold four million copies worldwide and been translated into 16 languages.