A READING of a classic children's tale will mark the end of a summer-long exhibition.

Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons will be told by special readers on September 3 as a show at the at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston about the author and his most famous work comes to an end.

The readers will tell the 31 chapter story over nine hours.

Organiser, Dr Chris Routledge, head of Continuing Education, English Language and Literature, at Liverpool University said: "We are delighted that the Lake District National Park has offered their site at the Coniston Boating Centre on the lake shore.

"Our partners at the Arthur Ransome Trust are providing marquees to keep our readers and visitors under canvas, in true Swallows and Amazons fashion."

Also supporting the reading are Stephen and Janine Sykes who live at Hill Top, Ransome’s last home in the Lake District.

Dr Routledge’s 13-year-old daughter Caitlin will be one of the younger readers, along with Elizabeth Kaye, the 11 year old daughter of Jonathan and Caroline Kaye, owners of Windermere’s Cedar Manor Hotel, who are avid fans of the Ransome stories.

Another reader will be screenwriter Andrea Gibb who adapted Swallows and Amazons for a new film version last year, and 14-year-old actor Hannah Jayne Thorp, who played the part of Peggy in last year’s film version.