Various church leaders in Ireland have given their backing to a Christian bookshop owner's creation of a new Easter egg that comes with a booklet that tells the story of Jesus.

Julie Carvill, who runs the small bookshop in Co Wicklow in east Ireland, told the News Letter that she created the 'Happy Easter Egg' after reading about a survey a few years ago that found nearly half of British schoolchildren didn't know the true meaning of Easter.

The move comes after the UK prime minister Theresa May last year condemned as 'absolutely ridiculous' a decision to drop the word Easter from a Cadbury and National Trust egg hunt.

The competition, reported by Christian Today, was called the 'Cadbury's Great British Egg Hunt'. This year, the National Trust has put the word Easter back into the competition, after organising over 250 'Cadbury Easter Egg Hunts'.

Carvill's Easter egg comes with a booklet telling the true story of Easter in easy-to-read rhyme and with great illustrations, the News Letter reported.

And her 'Happy Easter Egg' has been backed by leading figures from the Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, and the Catholic Church in Ireland.

The Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Dromore, Harold Miller, said: 'The truth of the resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrate at Easter, is right at the heart of the Christian gospel. That Christ is risen and sin and death are defeated is the Good News for all people. That's why Easter is so important for Christians worldwide.'

He added: 'Of course the Easter Egg represents new life and new birth, so the Happy Easter Egg is a perfect way to share the resurrection story.'

Rev Dr Heather Morris, who was president of the Methodist Church in Ireland from 2013 to 2014, said: 'I think the Happy Easter Egg is wonderful because it explains the real meaning of Easter for everyone.'

Carvill said: 'I read some years ago about a survey taken where they'd asked schoolchildren what Easter was about. There were quite a few of them who said it was the Easter Bunny's birthday.

'Just recently I walked down the aisle in one of the local supermarkets where they had all the Easter eggs, and you wouldn't have known it had anything to do with Jesus. In fact, not one of them even had the word "Easter" on them.'

She added: 'The Happy Easter Egg is about telling the true story of Easter in a way that children can easily understand.'