Leeds charity's appeal for help distributing 50,000 children book donations across deprived city areas
A charity is calling on big-hearted book lovers in Leeds to help them complete an exciting new chapter by gifting 50,000 books to children living in deprived areas of the city.
The Children’s Book Project collects donations of high quality, pre-loved and second-hand books at their Holbeck base before distributing them to schools across Leeds, where they are then given for free to children of all ages.
Run and staffed entirely by a small team of dedicated volunteers, the project was set up in Leeds just over a year ago, and has since been hard at work establishing partnerships with local libraries, businesses and organisations to help them gather donations.
Now they have set an ambitious target of gifting 50,000 books to 25,000 school pupils across the city, but need help from people willing to spare a few hours to help children and families experience the magic of reading.
Volunteering can typically include helping the team set up for the day, to checking, sorting and boxing up books so they are ready to be sent off to schools.
Laura Thompson, regional coordinator at the Leeds Children’s Book Project, said: “Not all families in Leeds can afford to buy books, and we know some children grow up in homes with very few books of their own or sometimes none at all.”
“The difference books and stories can make to children’s lives is hard to overstate, and we think every single child deserves that chance to fall in love with reading and stories like so many of us do when we’re little.
“In the short time we’ve been up and running, we’ve already been amazed by the generosity of the people who’ve donated books and given up their time to come and help us. We’re powered entirely by volunteers and every single hour they’ve been able to give us has had a positive impact on the life of a child somewhere in Leeds.
“What we really need now is more people to come along and volunteer as much or as little as they can and play their part in getting these books where they’re most needed.”
Based on Water Lane, volunteer roles with the Children’s Book Project are open to all, including individuals, groups and corporate volunteer schemes.
The charity accepts donations including baby books, right up to titles for young teenagers, with many donations coming from libraries and local businesses.
For more information about the children’s book project, visit: Children’s Book Project | The power of ownership (childrensbookproject.co.uk)
To find out more about volunteering or to sign-up to help, email: [email protected]