Jane Halstead
Brand & Comms Lead
We’re delighted to announce that Neighbourly has partnered with the UK’s largest publisher Penguin Random House UK and online indie bookstore the Bookshop on Penguin’s 2020 Christmas campaign - ‘It begins with a book’.
Books can be a wonderful way to boost confidence, find the perfect recipe or fall asleep to the perfect bedtime story. For so many of us - it begins with a book. But not everyone has equal access to reading.
So, starting from 16th November until the 21st December, for every book purchased by avid readers and their festive pressie purchasing friends and family, Penguin will donate another to those who need it most via local good causes registered on the Neighbourly platform.
“To be able to give the children a present, especially a book they can escape into, is a fabulous thing”
Good causes include UKHarvest, which received books from Penguin during the ‘Penguin for Everyone’ campaign, in which they donated 25,000 books to over 25 good causes across the country.
Stacey Cullen, Director of Operations and Programmes at UKHarvest says: 'We have taken our children’s book donations from Penguin out to the domestic refugees we support, where there are over 30 children currently living with their mothers waiting to be rehomed in a safe location. To be able to give the children a present, especially a book they can escape into, is a fabulous thing.'
“We want to share the power of reading and get our books into the hands of those who need them most”
With over 30 titles on offer as part of the campaign, 'It begins with a book' is the perfect opportunity to both support local independent book shops and give someone the gift of reading this Christmas.
Becca Sinclair, Communications & Brand Director at Penguin Random House UK tells us: “At Penguin Random House, our mission is ‘we make books for everyone because we believe a book can change anyone’.
“That change can be large or small, profound or simple, long-lasting or fleeting. Many of us have been turning to books through the pandemic, be it for information, entertainment or escapism. We want to share the power of reading and get our books into the hands of those who need them most, while continuing to honour our commitment to support independent bookshops through this challenging time.”
Supporting local
Bookshop.org is a new independent online retailer, which gives consumers the option of buying books online while supporting their local independent bookseller. A portion of the profits from each sale via the platform go either to a nominated local bookshop or contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among participating indies.
Nicole Vanderbilt, UK Managing Director at Bookshop.org adds: 'We are delighted to be part of this campaign which will allow book buyers both to support independent bookshops and to get books into the hands of grassroots good causes across the country. We were founded with the belief that books and bookshops are vital to a healthy culture.'
You can find out more about Penguin’s partnership with Neighbourly on their ‘It begins with a book’ page. To view and purchase any of the 30 titles on offer as part of the campaign, head over to Bookshop.org.
