It has been another fantastic effort by the community of North Tyneside, in clearing out their attics and donating old and new books to this year’s Linskill Book Fair.
Thousands of books will be available to buy and the Linskill Centre doors will open its doors at 9am on Friday 17th May and the event runs through the weekend until 3pm on Sunday 19th May.
The Book Fair is a popular event in the region with hundreds of visitors including those who simply want to stock up on reading matter, book enthusiasts who crave the written word, students who are looking for course materials and book collectors who like a good book fair and the promise of hidden treasures. This year the books will be sold at the following prices: £1 hardbacks, 50p paperbacks and children’s books 25p.
This will be the ninth Book Fair and traditionally it is the annual fundraiser event for the Trust, with all proceeds being reinvested into the Linskill Centre and its community activities. Year on year the event has grown and the volunteer team are constantly looking for new ideas and introducing new activities. This year will see a new Treasures Section, featuring a range of collectable books on sale at prices reflecting their researched value. Also new to the Book Fair will be a sensory free hour running from 10-11am on the Sunday morning.
Over the three days there will be a pop up Café 32, a community business providing refreshments for visitors and enthusiasts so they can explore the stacked aisles at leisure and enjoy the book sale experience. As an added element of surprise ‘golden tickets’ have been hidden within a selection of books and the lucky purchasers can win prizes, ranging from a free coffee, cake or even a meal at Café 32 within the Linskill.
Our team of volunteers have worked tirelessly over the last few months to collect and collate the thousands and thousands of donated books into genres, making it easier for visitors to find topic areas and have a good rummage. Simeon Ripley, Chief Executive of Linskill and North Tyneside Community Development Trust commented, “The Book Fair serves many purposes for the Trust in terms of encouraging people to recycle books, providing reading materials at affordable prices for the community of North Tyneside and raising funds to continue and expand the community services on offer at Linskill. However, I would like to recognise the work done behind the scenes by our team of volunteers as it underpins the event and its success. Their effort, commitment and enthusiasm are admirable and appreciated by our team and the Trust.”
Free admission and parking at the Book Fair and opening times are: Friday 17th May from 9am to 5pm, Saturday 18th May from 9am to 5pm and Sunday 19th May from 9am to 3pm. For more information on the Book Fair and activities visit www.linskill.org.