RESIDENTS are invited to become a part owner of St Helens' upcoming community bookshop for as little as £50 and help create something of permanent benefit for the town.

The Star reported online last week that the former Furniture Boutique on Bridge Street, part of Church Square Shopping Centre, is to be transformed into a bookshop, set to launch in March.

The idea for a community bookshop started following the closure of Westfield Street store Wardleworth's last year.

The St Helens Book Stop, a community benefit society, was launched to realise the ambition, with the efforts of trustees Brian Leyland, Julia Cadman and Steven Davies and also former Wardleworth's manager Anna Peacock.

The bookshop will be a community share project, with residents invited to get involved.

It is intended that the bookshop be owned and run by the community and exist for the benefit of the town.

As many people as possible are asked to support the venture for as little as £50 to become a part owner of the bookshop.

Brian says that as far as he is aware, this is the first community share project to have been launched in St Helens.

Ambassadors to the project include Rainhill author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Saints captain James Roby, Paul Sculthorpe, former football referee Chris Foy and journalist Charles Nevin.

Providing the necessary funds are raised, it is the aim for the building to be occupied on January 1, 2021 with a view to opening the bookshop's doors in March to coincide with World Book Day.

The project has also benefited from a grant from the Steve Morgan Foundation and says the council has been supportive of the venture.

St Helens Star:

The bookshop will be located on Bridge Street

Trustees Brian, Steven and Julia said: "Our vision is to create a destination in the heart of St Helens for all those who have an interest in books and reading and to make this destination a thriving hub for the whole of the community.

"We want everyone from all backgrounds and circumstances to feel welcome in the shop, whether simply to make a purchase, or to browse, have a tea or coffee or to spend time engaging with other members of the community in either individual conversations or in group events.

"Our books will comprise both fiction and non fiction of all kinds, and will range from bestsellers to serious textbooks, from children’s stories to travel literature, from cookery books to autobiographies.

"We will also have a section devoted to local history, where we will celebrate the rich heritage of St Helens as a historic Lancashire industrial town, which has over the years produced numerous people who have made their mark on both a national and international stage."

A particular focus will be "to introduce children to the joy of reading at a very early age" by holding group events with an ambition to try to raise literacy levels in St Helens.

There will be an e-commerce element where customers can also buy online, initially likely to be on a 'Click and Collect' basis.

The shop will also have a cafe area, to be run by town centre venue Momo's.

The unit will also be made available to hire outside shop hours for company events, community organisations, music rehearsals and any other suitable purpose.

The trustees added: "We will be holding events for all sectors of the community in the hope that everyone will find something either in the shop itself or in the events taking place that will appeal to them and lead them to return again and again.

"In this way we hope to make our contribution to restoring the sense of community which is sadly disappearing in our town, as in many post industrial towns, and we would like as many people as possible to join with us in sharing our vision for a brighter future in the town centre."