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A subscription book club run by ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that specialises in emergency shelter, has raised a total of £1m for the charity.
With members spanning the UK, the ShelterBox Book Club began in November 2018 and invites members to discover the countries where it works by reading books by authors and stories set in those places.
Books read by the club include the Malawian story The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (William Morrow), Mr Loverman by Booker Prize-winning Bernardine Evaristo (Penguin), which is partially set in Antigua, and The Mountains Sing by Vietnamese author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Oneworld).
The charity has helped more than two million people since 2000 and is currently providing aid to people affected by the war in Ukraine, the monsoon flooding in Pakistan, and the worst drought to hit East Africa in the past 40 years.
Catherine Thornhill, book club co-ordinator at ShelterBox, said: “What amazes me about our wonderful community of book club members is that with every book they read they are helping to fund emergency shelter for real families around the world who have nowhere to call home.
“ShelterBox responds when extreme weather events damage and destroy the homes of people living on the frontline of climate change, to seismic disasters, and conflicts around the world. ShelterBox Book Club members have donated one million pounds to help us reach people in need who they will never meet – it’s just incredible, especially when we see the difference it makes to the people we support.”
She added: “Our book club helps people across the globe, but it also gives readers the chance to see the world through another’s eyes and that’s pretty special. Many of our members have been gifted a subscription and what’s nice about that is that it’s a gift that keeps giving back to good causes because all profits go towards providing disaster relief.”
Every six weeks, members get the chance to vote for the next read from a shortlist of three specially selected titles hand-picked by Thornhill to reflect the people and places the charity works with. A copy of the most popular book will arrive in the post for members to enjoy with a letter telling them about a family they’ve supported through their membership. Members can attend online events discussing books with other members and get involved in exclusive live Q&As with some of the authors. More can be found out here.