A Novel Idea – Students and Staff Donate Books to Help Local Charity
Over the past few months, students and staff from North Notts College have participated in a book donation project with the aim to upskill and inspire members of the public. The ongoing project is run together with Rotherham College and Dearne Valley College, where the three Colleges have donated over 90 books to Grimm and Co’s Library of Forgotten Books. An assortment of different books from several genres were donated from the three Colleges, including children’s fiction, teenage fiction, fantasy, and many non-fiction manuals and academic texts.
The aim of this Social Action project was not only to recycle old books, but also to encourage the local community to read for pleasure. Furthermore, many of the donated books were non-fiction, and these books will allow members of the community to explore new interests and learn new skills.
The Forgotten library at Grimm and Co is open to the general public and allows people to swap their own, used books for new books. Unlike mainstream libraries, the public can take books to read without having to swap them, as the aim is to inspire a passion for reading within members of the local community. The Forgotten Library has grown in popularity in recent months, making it crucial that it is fully re-stocked for hungry readers on a regular basis.
Grimm and Co are a community-based organisation that encourages learning through the use of imagination. They are a registered charity, and their main purpose is to change lives through story-telling. They support under-resourced children and young people aged 7-18 and encourage young people to use their imagination to develop their creative writing and reading skills. Chloe Spafford, Learner Events Co-Ordinator at North Notts College’s parent organisation, RNN Group and lead on the project, spoke about the importance of Grimm and Co’s work. She said:
“I’m delighted at the response from the students and staff! This project means that staff and students from all campuses can play a part in inspiring the local community through fiction and non-fiction. We are going to continue to run this project, and hopefully donate regularly to Grimm and Co!”
Amanda, Grimm and Co’s People Manager said:
“This fantastic initiative allows people of all ages to fall in love with reading, which is what we’re all about at Grimm and Co. We’d like to thank everyone from the three colleges who have so kindly donated their used books to our Forgotten Library. The amazing range of these books will continue to spark the imaginations of hundreds of children in the local community!”
Follow North Notts College, Rotherham College, and Dearne Valley College on social media to keep up to date with ongoing social action projects.