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Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly |
Book Aid International was founded in 1954 by Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly as the Ranfurly Library Service. Her husband was at that time Governor General of the Bahamas and during their travels Lady Ranfurly became aware of the desperate shortage of books experienced by many Bahamian children. She began a donated book scheme - asking her friends and contacts to send surplus books from the UK and re-distributing them to schools and libraries in need of them. When they returned to the UK in the early 1960s she was persuaded by the Colonial Secretary, Lord Boyd, to continue and expand the service to other parts of the developing world.
A fundraising appeal in 1980 raised enough for the charity to buy freehold premises in 1987, when the first qualified librarian was also employed. A fundraising department was established in 1991 to help the charity to grow in order to meet the enormous demand for books.
By 1994 the charity had sent an estimated 15 million books to over 70 countries worldwide.
Although well known in the countries in which it operates, its work was relatively unknown in the UK. In January 1994 a new name was adopted to help raise both awareness of the need for book aid and the profile with potential supporters. The name BOOK AID INTERNATIONAL was chosen because of its clarity in explaining what we do. Lady Ranfurly remained as President until she passed away on 11 February 2001. His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron.
For over thirty years Lady Ranfurly devoted her energies to the organisation until ill-health forced her to withdraw from day-to-day operations. As President, however, she remained keenly interested in the progress of the organisation until her death in February 2001. Book Aid International remains a tribute to her indomitable energy and inspiration.
The Ranfurly Library Service was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee (number 880754, London) on 3 June 1966 and was registered as a charity (number 313869) on 4 July 1966. The company name was changed to Book Aid International on 1 January 1994.