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Hachette UK donates 12,000 books to communities around the UK

 

London – Hachette UK has partnered with Neighbourly to donate 12,000 books to local communities around the UK during the pandemic.

 

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, commented: “Books connect us and that’s never been more important than now, when we’re physically apart. Thanks to Neighbourly, our books are supporting the mental health of NHS workers and patients in Leicestershire, alleviating the loneliness of the elderly who are self-isolating in Oxfordshire, and helping families in London who are facing the challenges of home-schooling without the resources others are lucky enough to have. These are just a few of the deserving causes we’ve been able to help, and we hope our books have opened up new worlds of entertainment and learning for these communities during the lockdown.”

Sarah Willis, Director of HR and Operational Development at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “The donation of ‘Calm’ journals have meant so much to the staff at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. The health and wellbeing of our staff and patients is so important for us, particularly at this time, and we’re grateful that we were able to thank and support them with these books. They have been used by staff who are self-isolating and by ward teams and young patients in our hospitals.”

Liberty Venn from The Children’s Book Project said: “The books from Hachette have been very gratefully received by the schools and communities we work with. They have played a key role in reassuring parents and carers that they are not expected to be teachers. One of the schools which received Hachette books told us it’s not just about home learning; it’s about the creative spark that all children can get from opening a book and getting lost in a fantasy world, or a world full of facts and figures. At this particularly challenging time, the gift of books has allowed them to spend a vital few minutes engaging with the parents and sometimes the children while they are collecting their books.”

Ruth Swift, Head of Community Development at Age UK Oxfordshire, said: “We are very grateful for the book donation from Hachette. The books were distributed to older people in Oxfordshire through our ‘Bags of Sunshine’ scheme. These were designed to let older people know that they are still cared about, still thought of, and that we are still here to help when they are even more isolated than usual due to Covid-19. The books will have a great impact on lifting spirits and relieving boredom during this time.”

Neighbourly is a giving platform which helps businesses make a positive impact in their communities by donating volunteer time, money and surplus products. During the pandemic, it has focused on distributing micro-grants and surplus products from companies to hyper-local good causes. Hachette UK donated the books last month and they have now been distributed around the country. Further details can be viewed on the Hachette UK page of Neighbourly’s website.

 

ENDS

 

About Hachette UK:

Our mission at Hachette UK is to make it easy for all people, everywhere to access new worlds of learning, entertainment and opportunity.

We are one of the UK’s largest publishing groups, with 10 autonomous publishing divisions and over 50 imprints with a rich and diverse history. We are also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.
We publish thousands of new books across the group every year and our authors include Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling and Malala Yousafzai.

Our award-winning adult publishing divisions are Little, Brown, Orion, John Murray Press, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, Quercus, Bookouture and Octopus. Hachette Children’s Group publishes a diverse range of books for children of all ages and Hodder Education is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.

We have offices around the UK, including our headquarters in London and the Hely Hutchinson Centre (HHC) for distribution in Didcot. We have subsidiaries in several other regions, including Australia, India, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jamaica and New Zealand.