A NEWPORT food bank is launching a lending library next week in a bid to tackle literacy poverty in their community.
Feed Newport has partnered with the National Literacy Trust to tackle literacy poverty in the area by providing a free lending service to people in the community from February 1.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit the country, purchasing a book has become luxury that many cannot afford.
Last summer, the food bank launched a temporary pop-up library for people to take home free books which was a popular addition to the community.
The new lending library at Feed Newport.
Now, the new lending service at Feed Newport will be a permanent addition to the food bank, with books available for all ages.
Genres will range from children’s, teens, crime novels, romance, young adult, and autobiographies, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Gemma Walker, manager of Feed Newport, said: “We are really looking forward to being able to offer this service at Feed Newport.
“We are here for the whole community of Newport, we are also looking into getting books in different languages and also running activity workshops with the young members of the community.
Gemma Walker and her son Aneurin at last year's pop-up library.
“We feel that reading is important, and we are trying to make it accessible for all.
"We are very excited to provide free book access for all ages and want everybody to be able to enjoy the magic of reading."
The service will run similar to local libraries. Members of the community are able to borrow a book for up to a month, before either renewing it or returning it.
Feed Newport will also be running an activity session for children up to 11 years old on February 15 during half term.
The lending library will be open on Wednesday’s and Thursday’s between 12pm and 2pm.
Sarah Way, Literacy Hubs project manager at the National Literacy Trust, added: "The National Literacy Trust are proud to be working on the new literacy library with Feed Newport.
"Our research found that 1 in 10 disadvantaged children said that they don’t have a book of their own at home.
"The Literacy Library feeds directly into our core mission to transform lives through literacy, by providing access to high quality books and literacy resources for everyone in the community.
"We know that raising literacy levels can help children succeed at school, access more job opportunities when they grow up, and help them break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
"We look forward to continuing our work with Feed Newport and growing the choice of books on offer for community members over the coming years as part of our long-term commitment to work with communities.”
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