Bookshop owner launches trust to encourage reading

Duncan Cooper, the owner of The Children's Bookshelf in Hereford, is excited to announce the launch of a new community interest company (CIC) aimed at fostering a love for reading among children. This initiative, named the Herefordshire Reading Trust, is set to begin on May 3. Duncan expressed his concern about the number of children who do not have books at home, stating, 'I know that lots of children out there do not have books in their homes. ' The trust plans to organize pop-up events in various locations such as nurseries, schools, and colleges, where children can either receive books for free or purchase them at a low cost. To support the first pop-up event, a fundraising page has been created, and Duncan is also seeking volunteers to assist with the initiative. He emphasized the importance of books in a world filled with digital devices, saying, 'Books are still on the up and are very important, particularly in primary education. ' He acknowledged the challenges many families face due to the cost of living crisis, which has made it difficult for parents to spend money on books. 'I don't think a lot of parents have much disposable money to be able to spend on books, so that's where we can come in,' he added. In addition to the pop-up events, Duncan has proposed a scheme that allows schools and nurseries to collect used books and donate them to the trust. These books will be sorted, priced, and labeled for sale. He explained, '100% of the profits go into a book allowance for that particular setting who's donated to us, and then they can get vouchers or credits to use to spend in store. ' Duncan also shared his vision for the future, stating that both the bookshop and the reading trust will eventually move to a larger, shared space. 'Where we are at the shop at the moment, it's a little bit small. We want to be able to run the CIC plus the bookshop under one roof because obviously the bookshop will then feed the book trust,' he said.