Reading plays an essential part in any child’s development. Education and book drives are a fantastic way to encourage literacy whilst also giving back to the community. In the recent whole school book drive, boys and staff alike came together to donate a staggering 3,321 books, up almost 2,000 books from last year’s 1,368 books. Whilst a huge thanks goes to all those that were involved, a special mention goes to the five boarding Houses with the most donations: JMG, PEPW, JMO’B PRKB and AMM.
Originally set in motion last year for World Book Day by our School Library Administrator, Mrs Bird, the book drive aims to support The Children’s Book Project, a charity that encourages children living in challenging circumstances to read more. The idea of supporting this charity occurred upon reflection of how fortunate Etonians are to have access to so many resources at their disposal around the School. It occurred to Mrs Bird that many boys would have outgrown books, which could be donated and re-used to inspire other children to read.
The drive was a great success, with Mrs Bird commenting that she was “absolutely delighted by how many boys and parents got behind it”. A senior student who donated books was also happy to comment on his contribution: “I realised that I had some books lying around at home and I thought it would be wonderful to leave them in the hands of children who might benefit from them.”
The donated books will be distributed in the coming weeks by The Children’s Book Project, providing much-needed resources for children across the nation. The efforts of Mrs Bird and the organisers, and of course the generosity of the Eton community must be acknowledged – none of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of individuals. The School looks forward to success in next year’s book drive and encourages everyone who can to contribute.
