A charity is set to generate vital funds after being given thousands of new books to sell online and in its shops.
They have been donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) by retiring businessman Peter Black.
Peter, who is pictured with EACH volunteer Neville Jordan, has been selling books from a unit in Diss for 20 years.
Now he is calling time on the venture and has decided to give a load to EACH.
The charity has already collected 5,000, with more to come, and many will be sold via its fast-growing online book shop, based at the Retail Distribution Centre, in Thetford. Others will be distributed to EACH shops.
“I’m only too happy to help and hope they bring lots of benefit to this very worthy cause,” said Peter, who lives in Roydon.
“I wasn’t sure what to do with them so popped into my local EACH shop, in Diss.
“I think the chap behind the counter thought I was joking when I told him how many I had to part with!
“We had a chat and he suggested I make contact with his colleagues at the Retail Distribution Centre.
“I did just that and the team there have already collected more than 5,000 books.”
Other charities are also set to benefit and, in total, Peter, 68, is parting with 90,000 books. They are mainly paperbacks and the vast majority are brand new.
“It’s such a generous donation and we’re over the moon,” said EACH Book Shop manager Sue Nettleingham.
“Half the books have been sorted for our shops to sell and the others are being listed online. Among those, some have started selling already.”
EACH’s Book Shop has become a vital income stream and helps the charity continue its work supporting families and caring for children and young people.
It features all genres, both fiction and non-fiction, ranging from classics and children’s favourites to others that are rare and niche.
The shop also sells mixed media in the form of CDs, DVDs and Console games.
In an average week, EACH sells around 250 books.
The scheme usually generates around £1,500 a week and, typically, there are around 3,000 books on the EACH account.
Meanwhile, more volunteers are also needed to help in the main warehouse at RDC.
The team sort and process all donations and then distribute them to EACH’s shops across East Anglia.
One of the roles includes being a ‘driver’s mate’, with duties including loading and unloading vans.
To find out more about volunteering opportunities at RDC, email Warehouse Operations and Supply Chain Manager Stephen Ball via Stephen.Ball@each.org.uk or call 01842 770524.
