About Us
Photo: Louise at The New Bookshop adding items to our Christmas collection.
Our 2026 collection starts on 30th October right up to Christmas. We collect NEW books, toys and any item suitable as a present for children aged 0 to 18 in north Cumbria who might be experiencing financial, physical or emotional problems. In this National Year of Reading in would be wonderful if we could improve on the 1123 items collected last year.
Reserch at the University of Cambridge has found that, if young children read regularly for pleasure ,this can help with sleep and improve attention span. In the long run it can lead to a 33% reduced chance of getting Alzheimers. In this Nation Year of Reading what a wonderful present a new book would be!
A very big thank you to the following for taking part this year.:
Cockermouth: The New Bookshop, The Toy Shop and Cockermouth Arts and Crafts all in Main Street and Billy Bowman's Music Shop in Lowther Went
Carlisle: Bookends, Castle Street
Penrith: The Hedgehog Bookshop, Little Dockray
Keswick: Bookends, Main Street
Maryport: The Lake District Coastal Aquarium, South Quay
Pooley Bridge: Verey Books.
Also a very big thank you for their support to:
The Book Trust
The Literacy Trust
Hills Books
Derwent Pencils
The Charities benefiting from your generosity are:
North Lakes Food Bank
Salvation Army Food Banks at Penrith and Carlisle
Jigsaw Children's Hospice, Carlisle
Carlisle Food Bank
Overend Children's Care Home, Whitehaven