Her Majesty Queen Camilla, Book Aid International Royal Patron, hosted a reception at St James’s Palace in London this week to mark seven decades of the charity’s work.
Book Aid International works to share the power of books and build a more equal world. Every year, the charity provides over one million brand-new books to thousands of communities where people have very few opportunities to read and works with its partners to support and establish libraries.
The reception, in celebration of Book Aid International’s 70th anniversary, included representatives from partners, publishers, authors and volunteers who have supported the charity over the years. Since the charity began sending books to the Bahamas in 1954, they have sent over 37 million books to libraries and communities across the world.
Her Majesty met the British Nigerian poet and writer Ben Okri; the charity’s President, Bloomsbury Publishing founder, Nigel Newton CBE; Vice Patron Lord Boateng; Chair Dr Alice Prochaska and Chief Executive Alison Tweed.
Lord Boateng, who as a child growing up in Africa was a beneficiary of Book Aid International, spoke about the charity’s work and said:
“Book Aid International is deeply honoured that our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, hosted this special reception at St James’s Palace. This comes after Her Majesty’s visits to see for herself our work at our warehouse and headquarters in South London and during past Royal visits to Ghana, The Gambia, Rwanda and Kenya, and is a mark of her dedication to the cause of making books and reading readily available to all.
“Books as I know from my own experience growing up in the Commonwealth, change lives in often challenging circumstances and Book Aid International continues worldwide to build on the work that began more than seventy years ago by our founder the Countess Ranfurly.
“We are hugely grateful to Her Majesty for her inspirational support and championing the importance of reading libraries and literacy the world over. Book Aid International’s work is only possible because of a generous network of publishers, book loving donors, volunteers, dedicated staff and international partners, all of whose efforts are recognised at this reception.”
