HarperCollins marks 'five days of giving' this Christmas

HarperCollins is participating in "five days of giving" this week, to highlight the charities and causes it is supporting this Christmas.

The publisher is also donating more than 320,000 books this month, as well as clothes for children and funding for homelessness and suicide prevention charities, among other causes. 

On 13th December HarperCollins donated to causes close to its offices in Manchester, Honley, Glasgow, London and Dublin. Risha Lancaster, co-founder and general manager of Coffee4Craig in Manchester, which received a cash donation plus 500 puzzle and fiction titles, said: "Receiving these donations helps provide our guests a little dignity for what can be a very traumatic time in their lives. Being given donations is essential to our service to enable us to continue supplying these home comforts while hopefully we can begin to gain the trust and start to work with people to enable them to take the first steps towards recovery of street homelessness."

The following day, the publisher sent more than 5,000 books to hospitals in London, Glasgow, Stoke-on-Trent, Leeds, Manchester and Dublin. Farshore author, actor, comedian, and co-host of "The Great British Bake Off" Matt Lucas also recorded a special video message to help raise a smile at a difficult time of year for children and their families, and for the doctors and nurses who care for them.

Today (15th December), HarperCollins will focus on schools and early years settings. Working with the Mayor’s Fund for London, HarperCollins has gifted books to 42 schools across the London area, including Tower Hamlets, Haringey, Southwark and Dagenham. Five early years settings in and around Glasgow received HarperCollins books, and when the schools go back in January many of them will be greeted with donations from HarperCollins in partnership with charitable organisation Glasgow Life, with books going to 110 schools across the Glasgow area.

The publisher also worked with Team London Bridge which focuses on the area close to HarperCollins offices to send books to local schools, as well as 1,000 books to the Met Police Southwark team to distribute across the area. Finally, the company donated more than 500 books to the Paxton Academy in Croydon, part of the Little Wandle English Hub, to stock its library and gift each child in the school a book for Christmas.

On 16th December the focus falls on donations to the National Literacy Trust, with more than 160,000 books for all 15 of the charity’s hubs to be distributed to children across their region. Finally, on 17th December, HarperCollins will focus on work with partners in Scotland, where its supply chain and other offices are based. It has worked with charity KidsOut, which supports disadvantaged children escaping domestic abuse to seek sanctuary in refuge, and has donated 1,000s of books to KidsOut Scotland, as well as a donation to KidsOut England.

Working with Glasgow Life, HarperCollins also sent 1,000s of books to HMP Barlinnie including includes puzzle books such as crosswords, sudoku, logic and word games, education titles and fiction. It also donated 3,000 books to Low Moss prison, in Bishopbriggs, through Early Years Scotland — enabling prisoners to gift books to their children for Christmas, and distributed over 400 books to children in foster homes and children’s homes.

HarperCollins c.e.o. Charlie Redmayne said: "Christmas is a time of celebration but also an incredibly difficult period for many. I am delighted that HarperCollins has been able to support many brilliant causes, charities and organisations this December with donations that will help make Christmas that little bit easier for those that they work so diligently in supporting."