Sunderland Literacy Aid

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Sunderland Literacy Aid Sunderland-based C.I.C. helping people through the power of literacy 📚

sunderlandliteracyaid.co.uk

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE LOOK FOR A BOOK HAPPEN!Nearly 500 free books. One beautiful seafront. A whole lot of teamwork!Saturd...
12/10/2026

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE LOOK FOR A BOOK HAPPEN!

Nearly 500 free books. One beautiful seafront. A whole lot of teamwork!

Saturday's LOOK FOR A BOOK brought people together along Roker & Seaburn for a morning of exploring, discovering, reading and sharing stories.

But behind every book hunt, there's a brilliant bunch of people making it happen!

So, meet the people who helped us turn a simple idea into a seafront adventure celebrating the National Year of Reading and World Mental Health Day.

📚 THE BOOK TRAIL LAYERS
The ones who knew all the hiding places! Our volunteers headed out early along the seafront to hide hundreds of books donated by the National Literacy Trust North East, ready for curious eyes to discover. (Even got the perfect placement for The Roker Rawr!)

🔎 THE BOOK HUNTERS
That's YOU! Families, friends, dog walkers, and curious explorers kept their eyes peeled, discovered books, and gave those stories a new home.

🎭 THE TEMPORARY BOOK KEEPERS
A little theatre. A lot of character! The brilliant gang from Atlas Theatre Company CIC brought our Little Libraries to life with theatrical fun, conversations, and plenty of personality!

🧭 THE BOOK TRAIL WAYFINDERS
Our friendly faces along the way! Our wonderful volunteers helped people find their way, answered questions, shared smiles, and made everyone feel welcome.

☕ THE BOOK STATION HOSTS
Sharing books. Starting conversations. Our friends at Sunderland Literacy Aid welcomed visitors to their pop-up Book Stations at Fausto and The Seaburn Inn, helping even more books find new readers.

✏️ THE COMMUNITY BOOK CONTRIBUTORS
And this story isn't finished yet! Everyone who picked up a pen, shared a reading memory, recommended a favourite book, or added a doodle is helping us create Sunderland's very own Community Book. You can still contribute: postcards and a box are in the Culture House Sunderland foyer.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring Look for the Book to life, especially our fantastic volunteers, who gave their time, energy and enthusiasm, and everyone who came along, joined the fun and shared their stories.

Because the best part of any story is the people who make it happen.

📸 Did you find a book?

We'd still love to see your photos! Tag . The book hunt might be over, but the stories are just beginning!

📣We're at Sunderland's Mackem Market this Friday the 25th September, for another exciting book giveaway event! 📚There's ...
22/09/2026

📣We're at Sunderland's Mackem Market this Friday the 25th September, for another exciting book giveaway event!

📚There's something for absolutely everybody - adults and kids alike!

Our new World of Books Foundation-funded Book Giving and Literacy Access programme will also see us pop up at the train station on the 9th and 16th October.
ALSO - keep your eyes peeled for our Christmas Market dates 👀

🍂After all, cosy season isn't complete without a good book at hand!

So head down to the train station, grab a good read, and join us in breaking down barriers to literacy across Sunderland ❤


Our first community book giveaway with support from the World of Books Foundation is done, and it was a really good day....
12/09/2026

Our first community book giveaway with support from the World of Books Foundation is done, and it was a really good day.

People were genuinely excited to see such a wide mix of books available locally and to be able to just stop, browse and take something home with them.

This was the first event in our Community Book Giving and Literacy Access Programme, and there will be more over the coming months.

The next one will be at Sunderland Train Station on the 25th September, where we’ll be present with more books and talking to people about the support available through Sunderland Literacy Aid.

We also accept book donations. If you have books at home that you no longer want, you can donate them to us and we’ll do our best to rehome them through our giveaways and other community work.

Thank you to everyone who came over, had a look, picked up books and spoke to us.

See you again on the 25th.



A huge thank you to Big Yellow Self Storage for supporting us over the last year. Their help has meant we’ve been able t...
12/09/2026

A huge thank you to Big Yellow Self Storage for supporting us over the last year.



Their help has meant we’ve been able to save and store thousands of books that might otherwise have ended up being recycled or sent to landfill, and instead give them the chance to be rehomed and read again and again.

Without the storage space Big Yellow has given us, we simply wouldn’t have been able to do this on the scale we have. As small organisations, paying for the amount of storage we need would have been completely out of reach.

Having somewhere safe to keep the books while we sort them, redistribute them and find them new homes has made a massive difference to what we’re able to achieve.

We’re grateful to them for being part of this work and helping us keep so many books in circulation and out in the community.

Sunderland Literacy Aid will be at Sunniside Gardens on Saturday 5th of September for the first event in our new World o...
12/09/2026

Sunderland Literacy Aid will be at Sunniside Gardens on Saturday 5th of September for the first event in our new World of Books Foundation funded Community Book Giving and Literacy Access Programme.




We’ll be outside Diego’s Joint with a selection of free books for adults, children and families to choose from and take home.

The project will see us run a series of community book-giving sessions across Sunderland over the next six months, making books more accessible to people who may face financial, social or confidence-based barriers to reading, while also giving donated books a second life.

There will also be plenty happening in Sunniside on the day.

Garden Games will be taking over Sunniside Gardens from 10am–5pm, with free activities for all ages and abilities, including giant garden games, fitness and workout stations, Sunderland Climbing Wall, food and drink stalls, and the launch of Sunderland’s new Urban Hybrid fitness challenge.

So come down, enjoy the activities, pick up some free books and have a chat with us about the literacy support and other opportunities available through Sunderland Literacy Aid.

Saturday 5th of September
10am–5pm
Sunniside Gardens, outside Diego’s Joint

Some more books making their way back into the community.A selection has been donated to Ashwood Court Nursing Home in H...
12/09/2026

Some more books making their way back into the community.

A selection has been donated to Ashwood Court Nursing Home in Hendon, while others will be available at the Unity in the Community event at Sunderland Minster this Saturday.

The event runs from 11am to 2pm, and is free to attend and brings together local organisations, artists and community groups from across the city.

We’re always looking for opportunities to get donated books back into local homes, community spaces and events where people can pick them up and enjoy them.

Got books you’d like to donate? Get in touch :)

We’re excited to share that Lesley Anne Armour, a valued member of our team, has won the 2025/26 Pen to Print Short Stor...
12/09/2026

We’re excited to share that Lesley Anne Armour, a valued member of our team, has won the 2025/26 Pen to Print Short Story Competition with her story, A New Chapter.

Lesley has been part of Sunderland Literacy Aid for several years and has continued to grow as a writer through her dedication and hard work. Separately, she has also had a poem published in The Candyman’s Trumpet, making this an especially exciting time for her writing.

This is an amazing and well-deserved achievement, and we’re incredibly happy to see her work recognised in this way.

Congratulations, Lesley!




📚 What a privilege to drop a children's book donation at our local Winnibell Family Hub, to be distributed across their ...
12/09/2026

📚 What a privilege to drop a children's book donation at our local Winnibell Family Hub, to be distributed across their centres. do incredible work in our community, supporting local families with free, essential services and fantastic kids' play sessions.

❤️ Access to literature is such a vital aspect of children's development and wellbeing, right from day one!

Our second Creative Pathways showcaseHeld at Diego's Joint, it brought together artwork developed through our Creative P...
11/06/2026

Our second Creative Pathways showcase

Held at Diego's Joint, it brought together artwork developed through our Creative Pathways art group and celebrated creativity as a way to build confidence, connection and belonging.

From bold mandala pieces to deeply personal portrait work, each artwork reflects time, care and personal growth. These sessions are about more than making art. They create space for people to be seen, to share their stories, and to feel part of a supportive community. Seeing the room full and the conversations flowing reminded us why this programme matters.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, supported the artists, and helped make the night feel so welcoming. And thank you to the artists for trusting us with your work and your journeys.

As always, if you have books, educational resources, art materials or clothes you’d like to donate for our beneficiaries, you can drop them off at Diego’s Joint.

Such wonderful, supportive words from our visiting artist Steve:I've just been along to see the exhibition by the lovely...
11/06/2026

Such wonderful, supportive words from our visiting artist Steve:

I've just been along to see the exhibition by the lovely art group run by . The exhibition is at , and seeing these artworks in the flesh is amazing!

I've taught a workshop to the group a little while back, but the talent of this group is amazing! The exhibition is only on for the rest of the day, so if you're in Sunderland, you can get yourself along and show your support. It's only a five minute walk from Sunderland Metro, so if you fancy a break from shopping, and fancy getting yourself a drink and a bit of culture, and get yourself along!


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27 Norfolk Street
Sunderland
SR31EE

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