A CHARITY bookshop was saved from closing after it was discovered it had raised a remarkable £30,000.

Readers at Sellafield Ltd’s Warrington office raised the money by recycling their old novels and reference books over a sustained period, preventing the shop’s expected closure after the 35-year-old building was identified for other uses.

The bookshop managed the feat by running an honours system throughout its life, encouraging people to bring in new stock from home and leave payment for anything taken in an honesty box.

Jean Dickeson, an organiser at the bookshop, said: “The first book sales were only for a couple of days at a time and were held in our café set out on tables.

“They had to be removed after the sales and put in storage until the next one.

“When we got a permanent room for the books it was great because I could sort out the books properly into different genre and this made it easier to find what you were looking for.

“Once we got this room we started to take more money for the charities as it was accessible to everyone at any time during the working day.

It has been well worth the effort involved and I am amazed just how much money this simple idea has raised for charity over the years.”

The book club raised £369 for St Rocco’s Hospice in its first year, continuing to contribute and gathering a considerable £3,225 in its most successful year.

Mike Stilgoe, who took over from Jean and re-organised the shop’s stocks, said: “It is fantastic that staff still continue to buy books for themselves and family and I would like to thank everyone for their continued support.”

Sellafield Ltd and its employees have raised more than £200,000 through a range of activities over the past few years, including cake sales, football matches and weight loss challenges.

The work has benefited charities such as Warrington Special Care Baby Unit, Alder Hey Hospital and North West Air Ambulance.