Our Community Projects & Charities
First of all it is VERY important to understand The Book Shop is a Safe Space. You can come to us for help, to chat or just to be. We welcome everyone.
Mental Health Project
We are incredibly proud of The Mental Health Project. It started during COVID when loneliness in our community was a huge problem and we wanted to make sure that those people were not lonely and were being thought of and not forgotten.
Nominated recipients receive a Positivity Box and a message of support.
If you know someone struggling with their mental health, or maybe just having a rough time of it at the moment, please contact us and we will deliver them box.
Alternatively if you want to Donate-a-Box please get in touch - for every box donated we will match it with another free box for someone else.
The Literacy Project
Helping those that struggle with their reading we offer:
- Reading recommendations
- a reading buddy
- book group
- a safe place totally about your needs
- Advice
Free Books for Kids
Following on from a section on magazine show 'This Morning' revealing that children are starting nursery unable to use a book - swiping pages, we decided to do everything we can to get books into the hands of kids.
Therefore we have a dedicated bookcase in the shop offering free new books for children.
Figures reveal that so far we have given away over 2500 free new books to children.
Next time you are passing bring your child in to choose one.
Sophie's Legacy
We are a crucial drop off point for Sophie's Legacy. They provide much needed essentials for parents in hospital with children. They need toiletries, phone chargers, non perishable food items, bottles of water - anything you can think of that would be useful to a parent during a hospital stay.
As we get closer to Christmas people also donate toys and chocolate advent calendars for the children.
Please feel free to drop your items at the shop for Sophie's Legacy's monthly collection.
Chatty Wednesday
The perfect place to make friends. Just turn up - no booking required. Come along and take a seat and chat with other likeminded people who are just looking for company.
More info coming soon
ICANGO
We are collecting used printer ink cartridges for local charity ICANGO. It is a registered charity that offer accessible minibuses for the local community and interest groups such as veterans, youth groups, housing schemes, retirements homes and care home assistants.
Plastic milk bottle tops & used stamps
The milk bottle tops go to local schools for recycling or get dropped toLUSH cosmetics in Poole for recycling into eco bricks, furniture etc.
The used postage stamps are sent off to the BRCT. The Bone Cancer Research Trust - a group we follow on Facebook.
The Brain Tumour Charity
Sarah's father passed away in 2018 from an inoperable Gliioblastoma and the family have been raising funds ever since with bake sales, The Twilight Walk and last year Sarah ran the London Marathon. They are a charity very close to our heart