Christmas is traditionally a time of giving and, in the
spirit of the season, I want to further awareness of four bookish charity
appeals raising money to help others. I understand that not everyone will be in
a position to donate, but hopefully you’ll find the generous work being done by
the bookish community interesting.
LAST CHRISTMAS
First up is Last
Christmas, an anthology curated by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson with stories
from the likes of Graham Norton, Stephen Fry and Meryl Streep, as well as contributors
who have been homeless, political refugees and volunteers. It is described as a
beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays written by a unique
plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of
Covent Garden. Published to coincide
with the release of the festive rom-com Last
Christmas, starring Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, 25p from
the sale of each book is donated to two charities - Crisis and The Refugee
Council. Find a link here … LastChristmas
COMFORT ZONES
The second anthology, ComfortZones, is one I came across whilst browsing the Jigsaw (women’s clothing)
store. Written in aid of Women for Women International, who work with at-risk
women in countries affected by conflict and war, it is a collection of essays
and short stories by writers including Daisy Buchanan, Elizabeth Day and
Pandora Sykes, who were invited to pen pieces outside their comfort zones. For
example, there’s a meditation on motherhood from a food writer, a short story
on quantum physics by a novelist … you get the idea. Books bought via Jigsaw
stores or their website ensures the full £9.99 goes towards the work of Women
for Women International. Find a link here … ComfortZones
THE TIMES CHRISTMAS APPEAL
The Times newspaper has chosen to support three charities in
their annual appeal, one of which is The Reading Agency, an organisation that
aims to tackle the challenges of social mobility, mental health and wellbeing,
and loneliness through reading. Its Christmas Appeal aims to expand their
reading friends programme which uses the power of a shared story to connect
people in libraries, prisons, care homes, community centres and recovery cafés
here in the UK. Find a link here … The Reading Agency Christmas Appeal
THE SCOTTISH BOOK TRUST
Some of the happiest memories I have of my boys are when
they were small, all bathed and cosy, ready for a bedtime story. This year, money
raised by the Scottish Book Trust’s Christmas Appeal will directly benefit teen
mums and their babies. A £5 donation buys the gift of a first book (Julia
Donaldson’s and Axel Scheffler’s The
Snail and a Whale) for a young mum and her baby to share. The appeal
remains open until the 6th January. Find a link here… Scottish BookTrust Appeal
Most of these charities are based in the United Kingdom and
I would love if readers would share book/literature based charity campaigns in
other countries too.
And finally, all at the Novel Points of View team wish you and
yours a peaceful, joyful festive season.
Rae x
I'd never heard of this so a very illuminating post .... and such a good idea. How easy it is to give and yet get real pleasure from reading ourselves. Thanks for opening our eyes to this, Rae.
ReplyDeleteI became aware of the Scottish Book Trust campaign first and then it was as if once I'd spotted one, I kept spotting others. All worthy causes.
DeleteI wasn't aware of these collaborations for charity. Thanks Rae.
ReplyDeleteThink they are growing in popularity.
DeleteI just happen to hear two extracts from Last Christmas on R4 this morning. The first by a young Australian-born woman who was adopted at birth, and the second by a Syrian former refugee who now makes a settled living making jewellery.
ReplyDeleteBoth fascinating!! Do buy it - or, indeed, any of the others.
Aw thanks, John. I have bought it and am looking forward to reading it over the New Year.
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