I had two charming letters today. They came together and were written very carefully in pencil in school headed paper. They addressed me as Dear Sir or Madam.

'We have a new library in our school. Unfortunately we have only a few books and lots of empty bookcases. Please, please can you help by sending us some books.'

Yes, I can indeed but it makes me very cross that the children should have to write such letters. We have a National Year of Reading, costing goodness knows how much in salaries and publicity and PR, we have ministers telling us how important reading books is for children and we have letters like that. Why are these schools not given a book budget each year RING-FENCED for book purchase only ?  But schools are financed at local authority level. Are they given a book budget to pass on ? If they are you bet your life it won`t be ring-fenced and will have been spent on something else. Leaflets telling me to recycle and wheelie bins which I am unable to use, being half a mile down a stony track from the road which is as near as the dustmen deign to come.  But I digress.

Since starting the Magic Book Scheme I have learned a great deal about how schools are not funded to buy books. I propose to extend the Magic Book but I can`t do it alone. Match funding always seems to me a good thing. I have loads of good ideas for fund-raising and I will send a free copy of Jessica Ruston`s book HOW SMALL GROUPS CAN RAISE BIG FUNDS to anyone who asks. I will match-fund what any school, PTA or other group related to an individual school can raise solely and specifically for the purchase of new books.

Between us all, we might do rather well. I`d like to put up the fund-raising proposals and outcomes here so if you know a school/PTA which would like to join the Magic Book scheme and raise money for books which will be matched 50/50, please lead me to them. Or them to me, whichever is easier.

Meanwhile

WRITING IN CAFES Part 2

JAFFE AND NEALE Bookshop and Cafe. Chipping Norton. 8/10 Anyone who reads this blog will know we had the terrific for launch party for The Battle for Gullywith here. It`s always been the best bookshop for miles and now they are in a much more prominent position and with a lovely light airy shop. Hard to call it a Cafe really as there are only about 3 tiny tables, a sort of breakfast bar in the window - which is very comfortable - and some outside tables, which are OK  but sitters-out are liable to have car fumes emitted all over them.  

COFFEE.  Very good. 10/10.

Home Made cakes. Excellent.

Staff - couldn`t be friendlier.

AMBIENCE. Not perfect for WIC except at the breakfast bar thingy, where you have your back to the rest of the shop. A lot of coming and going, tables are by the door, and they are rather small for the W part. Still one of my favourites though AND they open on Sundays.

DRAWBACK.  Wanting to get up from your work to look the books on sale. Having nice people come up to me. They are book people and always charming and I never mind but it sort of means I don`t do much WIC.

SHIPSTON ON STOUR.

Dear me, what do we say? A fantastic new Deli has opened there, A TASTE OF THE COUNTRY. Shipston has always been a one-eyed sort of place but suddenly, everyone is opening a cafe there. Trouble is, I have yet to find one that works for WIC. There is very dainty, with tiny cups and cramped space and not very nice coffee. There is great coffee, good tables, but loud music - I don`t mind fuzzy background if it keeps the staff happy but not thumping rock. There is a hotel which does good coffee but which is dark and all the window tables are rickety. There is a greasy spoon which has Camp coffee and smells of chips. I see that an ironmongers has closed and I am reliably informed that a cafe is opening in its place. When it does I will sample it. Pity about Shipston but I guess they don`t have many of us wanting to write in their cafes.

STOW ON THE WOLD. I write in two cafes there. Report later.