Queen Camilla’s charity is launching a donation point tonight (Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
has unveiled a new six foot book structure in London tonight as part of a new campaign.
The Queen’s Reading Room, in February last year to promote the power of reading, has joined forces with Opportunity Kensington to help more people access books.
On November 21, trustee of the Queen’s charity Gyles Brandreth opened the new giant book installation – named ‘A Kensington Christmas Story: Read, Celebrate and Share the Joy of Reading’ – on Kensington High Street.
The structure will serve as a book donation drop-off point, with these novels being used by the Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital library, which operates a library and book trolley service for the hospital’s patients and staff.
The campaign marks the first-ever physical activation carried out by the charity, which aims to eventually open other book donation initiatives in different areas of the UK.
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The structure, that will sit beside the flower stand at St Mary Abbot Church, will be easily visible for people visiting, with a large Christmas present box at the centre where people can post their book donations.
People donating books are also being encouraged to leave supportive message for the next reader. According to Her Majesty’s charity, the campaign is designed to “highlight the
The installation also aims to show how literature can “bring people together”, with the charity having started to explore how the act of reading can help people socially connect.
Vicki Perrin, the CEO of The Queen’s Reading Room, said: “As a charity, we understand that reading is an enormously precious vehicle for social connection, so we are delighted to be partnering with Opportunity Kensington to launch our first-ever book donation campaign, benefitting the Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s library and trolley service.
“There’s something so uniquely exciting about picking up a book you know somebody else has cherished, but above all else, we really hope that many people will be inspired to stop by and donate a book they have really connected with, to help spread the joy of reading this Christmas.”
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The donation point was opened tonight (Image: The Queen’s Reading Room)
Hilary O’Neill, Chair of Trustees at the Friends of Westminster and Chelsea Hospital, said: “This is a wonderful initiative from The Queen’s Reading Room charity, and we feel privileged to benefit from this campaign.
“We believe in the power of books to foster social connection in hospitals and relieve boredom and loneliness for patients who may spend days or weeks on the ward.
“The donations we receive thanks to the ‘Kensington Christmas Story’ project will be a huge boost to our library service, and we are so grateful to The Queen’s Reading Room for its support.”
The opening of the installation comes just one day after Queen Camilla from her sister-in-law Princess Anne on Wednesday for her promotion of literature.