Wetherby bookshop owner crowdfunds for books for children receiving free school meals

Keira Andrews, 26, from Harrogate, opened Reading Roots in the town centre in December, just before the current lockdown began.

But when she was forced to shut the doors, she came up with the idea to support the town’s children from lower income families.

Working with three primary schools in Wetherby, Miss Andrews set up a crowdfunder to provide each child with a personalised book tailored to their individual taste.

She has bought books at cost from her supplier, who have waived some of their usual fees when hearing about the crowdfunder.

Miss Andrews, a former teacher herself, has raised £425 of her £500 target through Gofundme, and said she will extend the scheme past Wetherby if she receives enough donations.

She said: “We haven’t had a bookshop in Wetherby for years so it’s been needed, and much welcomed by the community.

“I wanted to give back to the community when I first opened, then when lockdown happened and I saw the free school meal shambles, I had the idea for the crowdfunder.

“It’s had a really good response and I’ve even had people donating money through the shop door.”

“The books are being given when parents collect the free school meal packages or vouchers.

“So far we’ve donated around eighty books. The schools have been brilliant, and really grateful for the support.”

Miss Andrews said that she first understood the impact reading can have on childrens’ wellbeing when she was working as a teacher.

She said: “I worked at a school that had pupils from affluent families and those from lower-incomes, and there were such a clash in the students I was teaching on what books they were able to access at home.

“Reading is a form of escapism, and it’s something that we have control over. Right now, we don’t have control over what’s happening in the world, but when we’re reading it becomes your world.

“For parents, it can be hard to constantly come up with games at home when you’re working full-time, but reading a book can bring families together.”

Inspired by the generosity of Wetherby residents, Miss Andrews is planning a pay-it-forward wall in Reading Roots when it is able to re-open. Customers will be able to donate the cost of a book for a child at the same time they’re doing their own shopping.

Jason Vit, head of local areas at the National Literacy Trust, hailed the crowdfunder.

He said: “We’ve seen a few major challenges with literacy with children from poorer backgrounds in lockdown, including access to books. Children who are more reliant on using libraries haven’t got that option at the moment and it’s difficult for families struggling.

“Children who do have access to books have been reading more in lockdown but for children without those resources, they’ve been reading less.”

“What’s really special about this initiative is that it’s donating physical books. While the online world is fantastic, if you don’t have the technology then you can’t access e-books.

“Research shows reading for enjoyment has an effect on health, wealth and life expectancy. It plays a hugely important part in wellbeing, and finding new ways to solve personal problems and challenges.

“It doesn’t matter what you read or who it’s by, it has such a positive effect.”

The National Literacy Trust has previously warned that children from disadvantaged backgrounds may fall to 16 months behind their peers as a direct result of the pandemic when normal schooling can resume.