A mum who inspired her author daughter to develop a love of books is now hoping to do the same with others by launching a free children’s book bank.
Karen Slator says she was shocked to read an article in a national newspaper stating only one in eight children in the UK owned a book.
Now Karen, who has owned the Fun Farm in Weston for the last 28 years, is setting up a book bank there.
The idea is that anybody can pop in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during term time and take a book for free.
It launches on Friday, (November 7) and will run alongside the children’s tabletop sale that takes place on the same days.
Karen’s daughter Annabelle Slator released her first book, The Launch Date, via Penguin Books, earlier this year.
The adult romantic comedy has earned rave reviews and a second novel, Risky Business, is due to be released in February.
“She was a voracious reader from an early age,” said Karen. “After reading about so few children actually owning books I thought the book bank would be a good thing to do.”
To keep that up though, she’s appealing for donations of children’s books.
“I’m sure there are plenty out there who have books that their children have grown out of and just don’t use anymore,” she said. “I have the venue and I have the staff, so why not?
“Anybody can come in, pick up a book and bring it back if they want to, though if they don’t, then that’s absolutely fine.
“That’s also why I’d like to receive donations of books from those who have them and aren’t using them.”
* The Fun Farm is also linking up with the community group Boxes of Hope for Christmas and having a gifting tree.
It’s leaves will have the age and gender of the young people the charity helps written on them with the hope people will leave new toys for them to be given as presents at Christmas.
