Hundreds of people were given the gift of reading for World Book Day after a collection by a local Funeral Director.
W. Storey Funeral Service asked for any unused or unwanted books to be handed into their home in Redcar Road, Guisborough, which would then be passed onto good causes.
And by the time of the worldwide celebration of reading on March 2, the local community had gifted nearly 500 books to be distributed.
The W. Storey team split them into adult and children’s books, donating the ones for youngsters to nearby Belmont Primary School to help pupils with their reading.
The rest of the titles were divided between Bridge House in Stockton – a charity which supports homeless people – and The Moses Project, also in Stockton, a charity offering guidance, mentoring and support for men with past and current addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Whilst they were handing over the books, Trainee Funeral Director Ashley Durrant and Funeral Arranger Francesca Capaldi were given a tour of The Moses Project by CEO Brian Jones.
Francesca said: “It was amazing to receive so many books – we didn’t expect this many, but people also respond so well when we have charity collections.
“Visiting the Moses Project was a great experience – we learned how the charity is run, how they help people and met lots of volunteers while we were there.
“The charity is amazing – they have everything people need to start again and get back to independent living.
“Their work is fantastic, and last year they were awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.”
W. Storey is part of the Funeral Partners network – the country’s third largest funeral company.
For more information visit www.wstorey.co.uk.
