A NEW "Reading Oasis" library has been unveiled at a Hampshire primary school.

St Columba Primary School in Fareham opened its new library, after it was funded by The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland.

This is the company's third Reading Oasis, built in partnership with United Way, which acts as a dedicated reading space for primary schools to help children acquire the necessary tools and skills to become healthy and productive adults.

The library was unveiled on Friday March 6 by Fareham MP, Suella Braverman.

She said: ""It was a pleasure to open the new Reading Oasis library funded by The Estée Lauder Companies and witness the positive impact the new books have had on the children. Encouraging reading among children is so important and I am delighted that the school has a lovely new library to enjoy."

An estimated 5 million adults in the UK have literacy issues, and ELC UK and Ireland believe there is a clear need for new and innovative ways to encourage and facilitate reading among children, as nearly 800,000 children in the UK do not have a book of their own at home.

Sue Fox, Senior Vice President of ELC UK & Ireland, said: “Giving every child the opportunity to love reading is something that we’re truly passionate about as a company. Our colleagues have really enjoyed getting involved in building libraries and reading to children. Over the past 12 months, we’ve donated 6,000 books and directly impacted over 1,000 children across 4 new libraries.”