Shropshire Community Leisure Trust (SCLT), which manages five leisure centres in Shropshire, is once again partnering with national charity the Children’s Book Project to collect books for underprivileged children.

Until 31 October, the trust’s five centres will begin a charity book drive, so the local community can donate good-quality children’s books, which can then be distributed to children across the UK, who cannot afford their own books.

The Children’s Book Project is dedicated to tackling ‘book poverty’, with the aim to provide every child with the opportunity to own a book. The charity recognises that book ownership can significantly enhance a child’s reading fluency which impact’s their successful progression through education.   

The participating Leisure Centres are Oswestry Leisure Centre, Shrewsbury Sports Village, The Quarry Swimming & Fitness Centre, Market Drayton Swimming & Fitness Centre, and SpArC Bishops Castle.

Rhys Collins, Partnership Manager for Shropshire Community Leisure Trust (SCLT), said:

“We’re delighted to be working with the Children’s Book Project once again. Last year’s book drive was a big success, with our customers and employees donating 100s of good quality books, which got a second lease of life, when they were handed out to grateful kids nationwide.

“This is an important cause, so we would encourage everyone to bring their spare children’s books to our centres and play your part in giving a child the gift of reading!”

Kirstin Knell, Corporate Partnerships Manager for the Children’s Book Project, said:

“We are so pleased that Shropshire Community Leisure Trust is collecting books again for us for the third year running, helping us on our mission to eradicate book poverty amongst children across the UK.

“Families can make a huge impact by donating books they’ve grown out of will at their local centres. We promise that these books will get to the children who need them most. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to donate to us.”

Founded in 2019, The Children’s Book Project won the Queen’s Award for Volunteering in 2020 and has since donated over 1 million books across the UK.

Peter Davis, Leisure Services Manager for Shropshire Council, said:

“It’s great to see the Trust supporting the Children’s Book Project once again, it was pleasing to see so many donations during my site visits last year. On behalf of Shropshire Council, I would urge all visitors to the Trust operated centres to drop of their unwanted children’s books for them to be distributed where they are most needed.”