Bookbanks
For Series 3 we are delighted to be collaborating with Bookbanks, a charity which provides new books and trained book professionals to create spaces for conversation, inspiration, literacy and community.
Who are Bookbanks?
Bookbanks partners with food banks, creating weekly pop-up stalls of free books inside them. These stalls are looked after by trained volunteers who have a background in books as well as a passion for talking about and widening access to them.
From baby books to poetry, cookbooks to classics, some of our books are donated by bookshops, prizes and publishers, others are given by local people. New, or in good condition, all are books that our guests can enjoy browsing and be proud to own. After establishing a place for books in a food bank, the charity then hosts onsite events, including author readings, writing workshops and librarian visits.
A worthwhile cause...
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In the UK there are 3000 foodbanks, accessed by 2.8 million people. That's 4% of the population, including 8% of children.
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1 in 10 UK children does not have a single book of their own.
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A DWP study demonstrates that being read to at the age of 5 is a significant protective factor against poverty at the age of 30.