Emmerdale actress turned children's author visits Wirral primary school

Samantha Giles with headteacher Mr John McDonald and pupils

Samantha Giles, best known for her long-running role as Bernice Blackstock in ITV's Emmerdale, recently visited St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Wallasey, to read extracts from her children's books to the school's Key Stage 2 pupils.

She visited all classes from Year 3 to Year 6, revealing what it is like to be an author before immersing them in the world of Rosemary, her protagonist in the 'Rosemary Trilogy'.

Elizabeth in Year 6, said: "It was interesting to find out how Samantha came up with the story line for her books."

Oliver, also in Year 6, added: "The story was interesting too and when Samantha changed her accent when reading to us, we were able to imagine what the characters may have looked like."

On her visit to the school, Samantha commented: "I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to St Alban's Catholic Primary School where I introduced pupils to my Rosemary Trilogy, books that are set in and around Liverpool.

"It's a real privilege to encourage reading and writing amongst children and to show how escaping into a book can be so good for our imagination, our vocabulary and in maintaining good mental health."

Samantha's visit marks the beginning of a long list of events that St Alban's, a proud member of the Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust (HFCMAT), has planned to celebrate the National Year of Reading.

Headteacher of St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Mr John McDonald, said: "We were thrilled to welcome Samantha to St Alban's on Wednesday. Our pupils were instantly captivated by the insight she shared on what it takes to be an author and were thoroughly absorbed in the world she has created during the book readings.

"The Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust have marked 2026 as the National Year of Reading with the launch of their year-long campaign, 'Go All In', and that's what we have intended to do here at St Alban's. We have started strong with this author visit we have even more fantastic events lined up for our pupils to further connect with reading."

Mr Andy Moor, CEO of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, added: "Experiences such as this are so valuable for our children as they play a vital role in their reading journeys and help spark a lifelong love of books and storytelling. Thank you to the staff at St Alban's for organising such a wonderful visit for our pupils and, of course, to Samantha for being an inspiration to our young people."

Located on Ashburton Road in Wallasey, St Alban's Catholic Primary School is a place where children are happy and enjoy their learning in a safe and secure environment. The school us part of the Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust.