School children across the county have sent homemade Christmas cards to librarians to show their appreciation of their work.

Children from St Michael's Junior School in Galleywood and from three schools in Wivenhoe sent their designs to their respected libraries over the weekend.

One card from a school pupil said: “You are the best library people in the world.”

“I love reading and I know how hard it is to be a librarian because I’m a pupil librarian and the library is my life”.

Essex County Council encouraged students to take part in their 'love our libraries' day by showing their appreciation on Saturday, December 14,

Organisers of the card-making initiative, campaign group Save Our Libraries Essex (SOLE), said they arranged the event to highlight the importance of paid library staff.

A spokesperson for SOLE said: "Love your Librarian’ is being held by campaigners to emphasise how a library is not a library without paid professional staff present.

“While volunteers do a wonderful job in supporting paid staff, we need professional paid library staff present at all times because library staff are: experienced, trained, safe, objective, multi-skilled, reliable and accountable."

"Essex County Council want to hand our libraries over to volunteers - this is unsustainable, and it undermines and de-professionalises an essential service, already paid for by Essex residents, and which we have a right to by law."

“We call on all groups to withdraw offers of taking over our libraries. The people of Essex do not want these takeovers because they love their libraries and they love their librarians."