Jane Halstead
Brand & Comms Lead
Publisher Hachette UK has donated a whopping 12,000 books to charities and community groups on Neighbourly to help those who need them most during this period of self-isolation.
“Books connect us and that’s never been more important than now, when we’re physically apart”
The donation included a large number of Fearne Cotton’s ‘Calm’ journals which went to staff and patients at the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, the perfect antidote to those needing to work through feelings of anxiety and distress from the situations they face in hospitals during this crisis.
Malcolm Heaven, who works as a project specialist for the trust, says: “The donation of 'Calm' journals has meant so much to the staff at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. They have brought some positivity and motivated our staff and their most vulnerable patients to look after themselves and their wellbeing at such a challenging and difficult time.
“The books have been used by staff who are self-isolating and by ward teams and young patients in hospitals. Our teams have put in so much hard work keeping patients safe during the pandemic and we're grateful that we were able to thank and support them with these books.”
Bags of sunshine
Over at Age UK Oxfordshire, the book donation went towards their ‘Bags of Sunshine’ scheme.
Ruth Swift, Head of Community Development at Age UK Oxfordshire, explains: 'These Bags of Sunshine were designed to let older people know that they are still cared about, still thought of and that we are still here to help when they are even more isolated than usual due to Covid-19. The books will have a great impact on lifting spirits and relieving boredom during this time.'
Another beneficiary of the book donations was the Children’s Book Project - a charity based in London that gifts books that children have grown out of, to those with few of their own. Their ultimate aim is for every child to experience the emotional pleasure and escapism of a book that they have chosen themselves.
“It's about the creative spark that all children can get from opening a book and getting lost in a fantasy world”
Liberty Venn from The Children’s Book Project says: 'The books from Hachette have been very gratefully received by the schools and communities we work with. They have played a key role in reassuring parents and carers that they are not expected to be teachers.
“One of the schools which received Hachette books told us it's not just about home learning; it's about the creative spark that all children can get from opening a book and getting lost in a fantasy world or a world full of facts and figures. At this particularly challenging time, this gift of books has allowed them to spend a vital few minutes engaging with the parents and sometimes the children while they are collecting their books.”
Words and actions
At Hachette UK, their goal is to make it easy for all people everywhere to access new worlds of learning, entertainment and opportunity.
David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK says: “Books connect us and that’s never been more important than now, when we’re physically apart. These are just a few of the deserving causes we’ve been able to help, and we hope our books have opened up new worlds of entertainment and learning for these communities during the lockdown.”
Head to Hachette UK’s page on Neighbourly to find out more about their book donation. To find out how Neighbourly matches businesses’ product donations to its network of vetted good causes, head to our Product Surplus page.
