Congratulations to all the brilliant young readers who participated in the 2025 final of Awen Libraries’ annual World Book Day Quiz, which was held at Bryngarw House this morning. The winners were Newton Primary School, Porthcawl with Pil Primary School the worthy runners-up. Pen-y-fai Church in Wales Primary School were in third place.
Year 6 pupils Evelyn and Edward were presented with the Margaret Griffiths Shield, by Richard Bellinger, Awen Cultural Trust’s Director of Operation, in recognition and memory of a dedicated and admired library colleague, and one of Awen’s founding trustees, who sadly passed away in late 2024.
Pupils from 29 schools across Bridgend County Borough participated in the preliminary quiz rounds held at Awen Libraries to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 6 March. The winning two pupils from each round were invited to represent their school in the final:
- Coety Primary School, Coity
- Newton Primary School, Porthcawl
- Nottage Primary School, Porthcawl
- Penybont Primary School
- Pen-y-fai Church in Wales Primary School, Pen-y-fai
- Pil Primary School, Pyle
- Plasnewydd Primary School, Maesteg
- St Roberts Catholic Primary School, Aberkenfig
- Ysgol Cynwyd Sant, Maesteg
During the final, the pupils answered questions based on the award-winning book ‘Ajay and The Mumbai Sun’ written by Varsha Shah. The book tells the heart-warming story of a young boy who uncovers corruption, fights for justice and battles to save his slum from bulldozers.
Richard Hughes, Chief Executive of Awen Cultural Trust, said:
“Congratulations to Evelyn and Edward and all the runners-up today and in the preliminary rounds. You should be very proud of your involvement and success in the competition, as I’m sure your families and teachers are. It’s great to see so many schools actively participating in this quiz. Reading a book is so often a solitary activity but adding a fun competitive element provides an extra opportunity for people to share and discuss what they have experienced.
“It is with mixed emotions that we present Newton Primary with the Margaret Griffiths Shield for the first time. Margaret touched so many lives and she is sorely missed but I am grateful that, with her husband’s blessing, we can honour and celebrate Margaret’s legacy by presenting this award in her name. Margaret showed unwavering dedication to serving her community, and through her long career in the library service was dedicated to supporting children and young people get the best start in life.”
Councillor Jane Gebbie, Deputy Leader, and Cabinet Member Social Services, Health and Wellbeing, said:
“Huge congratulations to the very worthy winners of the World Book Day quiz and a big thank you to everyone who took part too! It’s a well-known fact that reading is a great way for children to increase their vocabulary and knowledge – inspiring young minds and helping our learners to achieve better outcomes. It’s fantastic to see that our children and schools are so enthusiastic about reading! We are very proud of you, and please do keep up all the good work!”
