This September, the Reading Spots September book drive reached new heights, with nine schools and Book Aid International collaborating to ensure that this time our shipping container currently on its way across the seas to Ghana, was completely filled with high quality fiction and non-fiction, on topics requested by our 18 communities in Ghana. This video shows the Brighton College pupils sorting, stamping, labelling and covering all the books on their annual ‘Make a Difference Day’.

The book collection started in Marlborough College, with pupil ambassador Claudia Vyvyan starting a collection in the summer term:

My interest in getting involved in Reading Spots was fuelled by my endeavour to raise awareness of education and developmental ideas at my college. I was inspired by the academic basis of all the successful practical work and influence Reading Spots has on people from both the UK and Ghana. I hope to create an Education and Development Society in which we will discuss the ideas presented in the Reading Spots second online global learning course in September 2018. Hopefully this structured, organised discussion will help us to challenge our preconceptions and learn more about international development and education. So far, I have organized a very successful book drive at my college in which we received nearly 2000 book donations which will be shipped to Ghana in September! I plan to organize more fundraising events at my college during the next few months aiming to raise £1500-£2000 with the aim to fund the creation of a community library within the next year!

The Sevenoaks School pupils, who have just joined the project also organised a book collection across the Sevenoaks School community, with the Reading Spots service group also reaching out to the local community and collecting spare books from local charity shops and other individuals, leading to the collection of over 4000 books.

We have recently partnered with Book Aid International, who send over a million brand new books donated by publishers to communities across the world each year. They donated 2000 carefully selected books to us to add to the shipment.

We are also incredibly grateful for donations received from the Brighton College Pre-Prep (shown below), the BC Prep, Handcross Park, Windlesham School, Caterham School, and St Michael’s Prep School. Medase pa to all! We can’t wait to unpack the books in communities in Ghana next month. Do get in touch if you think your schools could join our next book collection leaving from Sevenoaks School in the new year.