An entire school has received a book about resilience and friendship for Christmas.
All 300 pupils at St Mary’s Primary in Maryhill were gifted ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ with the help of housebuilder Cruden Building (West).
The best-selling tale by illustrator Charles Mackesy has been lauded as a story of hope for these troubled times.
Teachers had asked the company for help to buy the books as a special gift to the children.
Cruden is currently delivering the nearby affordable housing Locks View development on behalf of Maryhill Housing.
Cruden employees were able to source all the books with the help of Maryhill Housing.
Before term ended, they were able to visit the school to deliver the books in person.
Ashley Buchanan is clerical assistant at St. Mary’s Primary School.
She said: “The staff of St Mary’s are so grateful to Cruden for providing these books to ensure all of our children have a gift this Christmas.
“We know how challenging a time the past year has been for our families, and this kind donation will be greatly received.”
Bryony Willett, chief executive of Maryhill Housing, said: “We hope that the children of St. Mary’s Primary School enjoy these books this Christmas and that they bring a smile to their faces.
“We are delighted to be working alongside Cruden to not only provide much-needed affordable homes but to also give back to the people in our communities.
The staff of St Mary’s are so grateful to Cruden for providing these books to ensure all of our children have a gift this Christmas.
Ashley Buchanan
“We will continue to maximise the community benefits which we can deliver in order to enhance and support our local areas and those living in them.”
Gordon Lee, director of Cruden Building West, said: “It is very fitting that ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ is a book about resilience given the disruption to education that children across Scotland have faced during the pandemic.
“The teachers at St Mary’s Primary School thought that this would be a beneficial read for the children.
“And we are delighted to be able to give something back to the local school this festive season as we continue to work towards delivering more affordable housing in conjunction with Maryhill Housing.”
The book is moving study in friendship and was Waterstone’s Book of the Year when it was published in 2019.
According to the bookseller, the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse are four friends who share a deep, unshakable bond.
It describes it as “soothing balm for the soul in these turbulent”.
