The Jungle Library

September 4th +++ UPDATE+++ September 4th
we've added a DONATE HERE button , so that any money sent can buy the specific books that the library needs. If you can help, that would be amazing. 
(thanks to those of you who suggested this)
------------------------------------------------------------



A makeshift library has been set up at the migrant camp at Calais. They need more books. 

We want to help. But, of course, we would like your help too. 

On Monday, I read this article in The Guardian about a teacher, who has set up a small library in the growing refugee camp in Calais. 

The teacher Mary Jones said;

“I wanted to start something that offered real, practical help. Many people here are well-educated — they want to get on and they want books that will help them read and write English, apply for jobs, fill-in forms.” 

Christened "Jungle Books" (the camp is nicknamed The Jungle), when the article was written they had about 300 books.

Now i'm sure they've been inundated with offers of help since then. I emailed Mary myself on Tuesday to let her know that I was going to try and get some more books for her.
So if you're able and would like to help the library in Calais, please feel free to bring in any books you think might be useful. Depending on how many we get, we'll get them delivered once a week, for how ever long they need them.

We have a load of secondhand books here which we're going to box up and get to the camp (we'll look out particularly for kids books, dictionaries and fiction, but as Mary says;

“We’ve only just set the library up and it’s been fascinating to see what people are asking for — short stories and poetry, for example — but we need Pashto-French dictionaries, Pashto-English dictionaries, Eritrean dictionaries, books in native languages"

So if you're able and would like to help the library in Calais, please feel free to bring in any books you think might be useful. Depending on how many we get, we'll get them delivered once a week, for how ever long they need them.

Oh, and if there are any publishers/distributors out there who'd like to help too that'd be great. 

Contact the shop on 020 8881 6767.

+++ UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 3rd +++

Hello and THANK YOU for all the offers of help. 
I'd just like to add a couple of things. 

A lot of people around the UK are asking us where their local drop of point is, and the honest answer is "we don't know".
What we're doing isn't a national scheme. We saw what was happening in Calais and wanted to help.

If you know any other places taking books to send to Calais, I'd love to know so that I can share this information. 

In the meantime, if you want to post and books to us, the address is 

Big Green Bookshop
Unit 1, Brampton park Road, 
Wood Green
London
N22 6BG

If you want to drop some books in to the store, that's also brilliant. But please note, we are a small shop. If you plan to bring stacks of books, please call beforehand. 020 8881 6767. 

We'll try and keep on top of all messages and calls from you lot, but please remember, there's only two of us!

Thanks again for all your kind offers.