CHILDREN'S author Ruta Sepetys and illustrator Lane Smith have donated £1,000 to the library near Grenfell Tower.

Following their Carnegie and Kate Greenaway children’s book award wins last year, the pair have announced the joint donation to North Kensington Library.

The cash will help fund a special collection of books to support young people in the community who are experiencing grief and shock following the fire.

Mike Clarke, director of libraries and archives for Kensington & Chelsea and two other nearby councils, said: “This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for the community of North Kensington. 

“The library service wants to play its part in helping people wherever possible, whether by providing practical or emotional support or in creating a space for those who need it to pause and reflect.”

Kensington and Chelsea council announced last autumn it was scrapping plans to lease the  library to a private school, following calls from residents and campaigners in the wake of the Grenfell disaster.

Then council leader Elizabeth Campbell said the £17 million that would have been used in the plans to move the library will instead go “straight into the recovery efforts.”