Castle Books, a community bookshop in Totnes, Devon, has launched a £135,000 crowd-funding campaign to acquire its premises at 4 Castle Street and secure the future of the historic bookshop and its outreach programmes.
The building is up for sale and the shop’s lease is coming to an end, putting the future of the much-loved shop in jeopardy. To save it, the shop’s dedicated team of volunteers are calling on book lovers from Totnes and around the world to support the campaign by visiting the crowd funding page, making a donation and helping to spread the word on social media.
Castle Books has been a staple of Totnes’ high street for over 50 years, offering an array of second-hand books. It is operated entirely through the good will of its volunteers, who also organise literary events for the community. Any profits generated from book sales are channelled back into the local community, benefiting organisations such as Totnes Library and Grove School.
Eve Ashton, Centre Manager of Torbay Libraries, commented: “We cannot thank the Totnes Community Bookshop enough for their kindness and generosity. The projects their funding has enabled have had such an impact on the thousands of people, of all ages and backgrounds who use the library.”
The shop was first opened by Belle Collard in 1969, as a vegetarian and wholefood café with a shelf of books in the upstairs dining area. In 1975 it evolved into Collards Books, filling three floors of the building. When Belle sadly passed away in 2013, her entire stock of books was bequeathed to the volunteers, who established a Community Interest Company (CIC).
Now, Castle Books’ volunteers are looking to future-proof the bookshop for the next 50 years. Volunteer manager Francis Checkley said: “We recognise that it is a big ask in these difficult times, but we want to do all we can to secure Belle’s legacy and keep Castle Books as a thriving literary and community hub for Totnes. Purchasing the fabric of the shop will allow us to secure our future for new generations of book lovers and ensure our community bookshop remains a vital part of Totnes’s heritage.”
To support the crowd-funding campaign and help secure a ‘happily ever after’ for Castle Books, visit its Crowdfunding page and help spread the word via social media.
Castle Books, a much-loved community bookshop in Totnes, Devon, has launched a £135,000 crowd-funding campaign to acquire its premises at 4 Castle Street and secure its future.
The building is up for sale and the shop’s lease is coming to an end, putting the future of the historic bookshop in doubt. Now, the shop’s dedicated team of volunteers are calling on book lovers from Totnes and around the world to donate to the campaign and help spread the word on social media.
The bookshop has been a staple of Totnes’ high street for over 50 years and is operated entirely through the good will of its volunteers. The profits generated from book sales are channelled back into the local community, benefiting organisations such as Totnes Library and Grove School.
The shop was first opened by Belle Collard in 1969, as a vegetarian and wholefood café with a shelf of books in the upstairs dining area. When she sadly passed away in 2013, her entire stock of books was bequeathed to the volunteers, who established a Community Interest Company (CIC).
Now, Castle Books’ volunteers are looking to secure the bookshop’s future for the next 50 years. Volunteer manager Francis Checkley said: “We want to do all we can to secure Belle’s legacy and keep Castle Books as a thriving literary and community hub for Totnes. Purchasing the fabric of the shop will allow us to secure our future for new generations of book lovers and ensure our community bookshop remains a vital part of Totnes’s heritage.”
To support the crowd-funding campaign and help secure the future of Castle Books, visit its Crowdfunding page and help spread the word via social media.
Castle Books, a community bookshop in Totnes, Devon, has launched a £135,000 crowd-funding campaign to acquire its premises and secure its future. The building is up for sale and the shop’s lease is coming to an end, putting the future of the much-loved shop in jeopardy.
The bookshop has been a staple of Totnes’ high street for over 50 years and is operated entirely through the good will of its volunteers. The profits generated from book sales are channelled back into the local community, benefiting organisations such as Totnes Library and Grove School.
The shop
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.