In brief: Guide Dogs Jersey’s annual book sale returns this weekend at Peacock Farm in Trinity, with around 20,000 books on offer. The event has raised more than £615,402 since it launched 32 years ago, making it the charity’s biggest annual fundraiser.
A Shelf Above the Rest
If your weekend plans are looking a little thin, Jersey has a rather compelling alternative to staring at a screen: 20,000 books, a barn in Trinity, and the chance to do some genuine good. The Guide Dogs Jersey Biggest Book Sale returns on Saturday and Sunday at Peacock Farm on La Route de Maufant, near Jersey Zoo, with doors open from 9am to 4pm on both days.
Bailiwick Express reports that the sale has raised more than £615,402 since its launch 32 years ago, a figure that speaks for itself. Guide Dogs Jersey, the charity behind the event, has been operating for around 80 years, and this annual sale has become its single largest fundraising effort.
Something for Every Reader
The organisers have clearly put in the legwork before a single book is sold. More than 750 boxes have been sorted and priced, and on the day, books will be arranged alphabetically by category so that visitors can head straight to their preferred subjects rather than rummaging through unsorted piles. Novels, reference books and rare items will all be available, with a dedicated section for rare and valuable pieces set aside for collectors and enthusiasts.
Perhaps most encouragingly, the children’s section prices books at just 25p, a deliberate effort to get young readers interested. In an age when a child’s attention is competed for by every app and algorithm imaginable, a quarter of a pound for a book seems a rather good deal.
Community in Action
The scale of the operation behind the scenes is impressive. Chairman of Guide Dogs Jersey Branch Ken Syvret noted that more than 50 volunteers lend a hand over the weekend, helping with loading and delivery, managing four pay desks, keeping the displays tidy, and returning unsold stock to the charity’s book store in St Ouen once it is all over.
“The Biggest Book Sale has become a truly enjoyable community event,” Syvret said. “Such a successful enterprise does not happen without the generosity of donors of books and the many who regularly support the sales finding bargains on every occasion.”
Working guide dogs and puppies in training will also be present at the sale, giving visitors a chance to see the charity’s work up close and understand the difference it makes to the lives of guide dog owners.
Source: Bailiwick Express
