Charity needs 50,000 books for deprived readers

A charity is hoping to gift 50,000 books to school children who live in deprived areas with the hope they will "fall in love" with reading.

The Children’s Book Project is urging people to donate second hand and pre-loved books to its base in Leeds.

The charity hopes to pass the books on to 25,000 pupils living in the areas where "they are most needed".

A spokesperson said: “The difference books and stories can make to children’s lives is hard to overstate."

The project is run entirely by volunteers who set up partnerships with local libraries, businesses and organisations to help them gather donations.

The charity accepts donations from books for babies right up to titles for young teenagers,

Laura Thompson, regional coordinator at the Leeds Children's Book Project, said: “Not all families in Leeds can afford to buy books, and we know some children grow up in homes with very few books of their own or sometimes none at all."

She added: “In the short time we’ve been up and running, we’ve already been amazed by the generosity of the people who’ve donated books and given up their time to come and help us.

"We’re powered entirely by volunteers and every single hour they’ve been able to give us has had a positive impact on the life of a child somewhere in Leeds."

The Children's Book Project also said it is looking for more volunteers, who would be based at Seagulls on Water Lane.

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