Bookbanks Bookfriend

Name of Role:

Norfolk Bookbanks Bookfriend.

About the organisation:

Bookbanks is a young and growing charity that brings books, and all their transformative powers, to food banks across the UK. We work with existing food banks to create pop-up stalls of donated books - free for users to browse, borrow or keep during the food bank’s regular hours of operation. 

Staffed by volunteers - like you - from the local books industry, these Bookbanks stalls become places that spark conversation, develop literacy and create a bridge with the local arts community.

Reading for pleasure is associated with lower stress and depression, higher self-esteem, sense of community and – among children – future success and cognitive development.  

Yet as of March 2023, 3% of UK families (over 2.1 million people) are using food banks. Moreover, almost one in five UK children do not own a book, with 51% of parents saying they are too expensive. With your help, we aim to change this, by enabling the books sector to work closely with food banks.

About the role:

As a Norfolk Bookbanks Bookfriend you will:

Work with other volunteers to collaboratively staff a new weekly Bookbanks stall at the Wymondham Community Outreach Project Foodbank - a much-in-demand resource, serving around 120 adults and children each week (Tuesdays and Saturdays, 11am-1pm at Abbey Hall, Church Street, Wymondham).

While the Bookbanks stall will pop-up weekly, our volunteers will operate it on a rotating schedule, meaning your commitment will be less frequent: you need to commit to staffing the staff at least once a month, for the duration of the food bank’s opening hours (11-1pm), and for a minimum of six months.  

Your role within these crucial hours will include:

• Setting up and displaying the books and printed materials
• Engaging with food bank users, encouraging conversation and the taking of books
• Packing and storing books and stall at the end of sessions

In addition to staffing the stall, you will also...

• take an active role in sourcing book donations from your local community, with our support.
• work with us to build a vibrant books community with the food bank, involving events, author interactions and more. 
• be crucial in fostering a good working relationship with the food bank 
• attend online catch ups with the Bookbanks team and other volunteers to share experiences and support each other.

Training/skills you will acquire:

Bookbanks provides volunteers with training and ongoing support. Our volunteer training programme consists of a day online and a morning in person at the foodbank. We DBS check all our volunteers. 

Our support team will also make visits to your Bookbanks stall to support you, and we hold regular online catch-ups, during which volunteers can meet, share experiences and advice.

Through our training and your volunteering you will:

•  practise communication skills with individuals from all walks of life
• learn about safeguarding children and adults at risk 
• see first-hand how books can transform lives
•  meet wonderful people (both volunteers and service users)
•  develop transferable skills as you attract and retain readers, help to organise live events and build networks

Bookbanks is also happy to cover travel expenses within reason.

Skills / experience needed:

First and foremost, our volunteers must believe passionately in the transformative power of books, and everybody’s right to read. Whether you are currently in work, have retired from it, or are studying to prepare for it, a significant portion of your CV will also be based around books.

You might, for example, be an English teacher, an author, a bookseller, or a publisher This, however, is not an exhaustive list! If your work revolves around books, you love people and literature, you are non-judgemental, open-minded and positive, and you want to open the world of books to wider readerships, we would love to speak to you.