Education charity looking for another vacant retail unit after sudden closure of High Barnet’s free book shop

High Barnet’s popular and well supported free bookshop has had to close unexpectedly because a new tenant is ready to move into their premises at The Spires shopping centre.

Volunteers who immediately had to remove for storage their stock of donated books are hoping that another vacant unit might be offered for their use.

“Since we first opened a shop in The Spires last year there has always been lots of interest.

“Local people have been so generous in donating unwanted books,” said volunteer Pippa Priestley seen above with helper, Mark Tagholm.  

Global Educational Trust, which operates free books shops across the country, takes advantage of the generosity of landlords who let them move into empty retail outlets on a temporary basis.

Up to three unwanted books can be taken on any one visit and the stock is replenished with donated books which might otherwise have been pulped or gone to landfill.

Trust administrator Rohail Suleman, above right, said they were so grateful when shopping centres were prepared to make available vacant outlets which could re-purposed on a temporary basis for a free book shop.

“We quite understand the pressure on landlords so we know we might have to move out at very short notice.

“We are hoping that we might be offered another vacant unit in The Spires or perhaps nearby and we will re-open the shop as soon as possible.”

The trust opened its first shop in The Spires in May last year and has built up a team of around 20 volunteers who take it in turns to help.

After a short closure it moved for a brief time to what is now Café Du Nord and then in August it was relocated again and re-opened in a unit vacated by EE Phones, a prime outlet opposite Waitrose supermarket which is now about to become a cake shop.

Volunteers responded to an emergency call to assist in packing up once again – see above, from left to right, Rick Osman and Eduardo Caprario.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson – who has been campaigning to boost Barnet High Street – has assured the free book shop’s volunteers that he would be ready to assist in finding another vacant unit either in The Spires or close by in the town centre.

“Hopefully Dan can help the trust get into another empty shop so we can re-open as soon as possible,” said Pippa Priestley.

“We have been really pleased with the response we have had in recent months, especially in donations of unwanted books, and we know how much the chance to browse and perhaps find a book is appreciated, especially by children.”

Currently the trust has 15 free book shops up and running across the country.