A BOOKSHOP has announced the latest effort in its longstanding partnership with a local charity – complete with a festive twist.
The Edinburgh Bookshop in Bruntsfield shared its Buy a book – Gift a book initiative to social media on Tuesday working with Craigmillar Literacy Trust.
The shop has displayed gift tags suggesting ideas of books for customers to buy during the festive period.
The books will then be put aside and sent to the charity, which will give the reading material to children who might not otherwise receive them.
The Craigmillar Literacy Trust was set up in 1998 and works with over 600 families each year in the Craigmillar area, in the south-east of the city.
It supports children and families to develop early literacy and communication and explore reading while building confidence and wellbeing.
Book gifting is a key part of its programmes, helping children to become lifelong readers.
Research by the National Literacy Trust last year revealed that 8.6% of children and young people aged between five and 18 did not have a book of their own.
The bookshop has proudly supported the charity for the past 14 years through fundraising, donating books for World Book Day and supplying books at the shop’s cost price to help funds go further.
The initiative was born from its decision to increase the support it offers.
The shop’s post on social media read: “Buy a book to gift a child this Christmas.
“We’re working with our friends at Craigmillar Literacy Trust to help children get the gift of reading.
“We have gift tags suggesting ideas which you can buy, and we will put the books aside for the trust to give out to children.”
Snaps show the tags hanging beneath a window display of festive books, surrounded by gold tinsel.
Suggestions printed on them include, “Gift a picture book to a three-year-old boy”, “Gift a fact book to a nine-year-old” and “Gift an activity book to an eight-year-old girl”.
Speaking today, Katie Swann, literacy programmes coordinator at Craigmillar Literacy Trust, said: “We’re so delighted to be extending our wonderful long-standing partnership with the Edinburgh Bookshop with this exciting new initiative.
“Having books in the home is one of the main indicators for future success so we’d like to say a big thank you to all the bookshop’s customers for their gifts which will go directly to babies and children that wouldn’t otherwise have access to these amazing opportunities.”
