Earlier this year our Willen Hospice Stony Stratford bookshop, run entirely by dedicated volunteers, reached total sales of £500,000. This fantastic achievement is down to the passion and hard work of the volunteers who manage every aspect of the shop, from sorting stock and pricing items, to serving customers.
The bookshop was originally opened in 2005 and the building itself dates back as far as 1819 when it used as a school. Over the years’ it has served the community of Stony Stratford as a Grocers shop, Peacock’s Bazaar and a shoe shop. Now, our much-loved Bookshop is very much a part of the community and both customers and volunteers speak so passionately about it.
Back in 2016, the shop faced closure due to rising costs but those same passionate volunteers, gathered and created a business plan to save the shop! The rest, as they say, is history, and since 2016, the shop has been run solely by volunteers, as a volunteer-led concern for the purpose of raising funds for Willen Hospice.
Early in 2023, as part of the Hospice extension, our bookshop team created a ‘reading room’ for our patients and their families to enjoy. The cosy room stocks books from the bookshop, as a library and quiet place for our patients and their visiting families to sit down with a good read. Families are encouraged to borrow and donate books and the space promotes well-being at the most difficult time.
Barbara Jackman, Rita Barratt and Suzy Ryder from the bookshop steering group accepted a certificate of thanks in the ‘reading room’ from the Hospice’s Chief Executive, Kate Broadhurst and Associate Director of Commercial, Mark Rawlins.
If you are a fellow bookworm and haven’t visited, you’re missing out! The shop is a firm favourite and considered a hidden gem with local families. It has an excellent selection of titles, in all genres.
Our volunteers pride themselves on their knowledge of best-sellers, genres and authors and are always an integral part of the community when the town comes to life with events like Vintage and Classic Stony, Christmas Lantern parade or Stony Open Gardens.
Find out more about volunteering in retail.
