Features / #BristolCharityAdvent
#BristolCharityAdvent day 5: WheelyGoodBooks
WheelyGoodBooks ingeniously converts wheely suitcases into compact, movable bookshelves.
This allows them to run a mobile library and outreach service for those sleeping rough across Bristol.
Relying on kind donations of money and books, the group aim to fulfil requests for specific titles, authors or genres, regularly posting lists on their Facebook page.
is needed now More than ever
A selection of Wheely Good Books
As well as the library service, WheelyGoodBooks provide hot drinks, snacks, hats, gloves and scarves to the homeless.
These kinds of simple items can be a lifeline in the short term, especially now that the nights are so much colder. The group also aim to signpost vulnerable people to longer-term support, by making them aware of housing services, legal, financial and benefit advice in Bristol.
In the last week of November, the group launched Hot Water Bottle Network Bristol as its latest project.
Inspired by an initiative in Brighton, where hot water bottles hang from trees to be claimed by homeless people, the Hot Water Bottle Network aims to keep people warm through the winter.
The bottles are distributed along with information about local businesses who have agreed to refill them with boiling water when needed. In order to be as effective as possible, the network needs to recruit many more filling stations, particularly businesses that are open late at night.
Hot water bottles in Brighton, which inspired the Bristol network
In 2018, WheelyGoodBooks plan to set up libraries in hostels, women’s refuge centres and community groups.
They are also hoping to begin converting phone boxes into mini libraries across the city and provide accessible storage of warm winter wear for those struggling in the cold.
The group are entirely self-funded, and are grateful for any contributions which allow them to reach as many people as they can. These could take the form of donations, or the group also welcome volunteers willing to help with distribution.
WheelyGoodBooks’s emphasis is on solidarity rather than charity. Their mantra is that “a good book can be a companion when you’re lonely, a blanket when you’re cold, food when you’re hungry, and a weapon when you feel defenceless”.
The books donated to the charity are loaned to homeless people
The group’s Facebook page is the first port of contact for suggestions or offers of help, and you can find more information about this brilliant initiative there. To get in touch to donate, offer help or find out more, email: hello@wheelygoodbooks.co.uk.
The address for deliveries is The New Place, 119-121 Fishponds Road, Bristol BS5 6PN.
Read more: #BristolCharityAdvent Day 4: SARSAS
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