MORE than 90 Sidmouth Primary School leavers were given a special dictionary to mark the occasion.

The gift came from the Rotary Club of Sidmouth, which has pledged to make a regular annual donation to the institution.

Pupils heading to senior school were given a copy of the illustrated Dictionary 4 Life at a ceremony at St Francis of Assisi Church.

Grandfather-of-nine Rod Boggia, a member of the Rotary Club’s community committee, said the presentation by the club’s president Barry Chapman “went down very well”.

“As soon as they sat down they were feverishly leafing through the dictionaries, so its obvious they grabbed their attention,” he said.

“Each one had the child’s name inscribed in italics and I think they were delighted.”

Mr Boggia had pushed for the Sidmouth branch to join a national Rotary campaign to donate dictionaries.

He added: “It’s a nice thing for a child to have and something for them to keep and use for reference. There’s a space for friends’ autographs, so I think they’ll find it very precious.”

Following the successful presentation the club have now decided to donate the dictionaries every year to Sidmouth Primary School leavers.

Fundraising activities will be carried out throughout the year, beginning with a barbecue on Saturday, August 18.