FEBRUARY 2004
LOCAL VOLUNTEER HONOURED FOR 20 YEARS OF SERVICE
Book lover Wendy Berners Price has boxed up more than two million books to be sent abroad to readers in the world's poorest countries.
Local volunteer, Wendy Berners Price was this week presented with an award to mark 20 years of service for Camberwell charity Book Aid International, which works to alleviate overwhelming book shortages in the developing world. Kate Hoey MP visited the charity's library and warehouse to present Wendy with an engraved silver bookmark and remarked on her achievements,
“It's always a great privilege to meet people in our community who are giving their time and energy to voluntary work. Wendy's longstanding commitment to Book Aid International has had a brilliant impact on readers in the developing world.”
Over the years Wendy has worked two days every week, packing up boxes with books for readers in 30 countries around the world. Books vary widely in subject area, from medical, business and vocational textbooks, to illustrated children's books that will help encourage a lifelong love of reading. Schools, libraries, refugee camps and hospitals are among the organisations who receive targeted collections of books from Book Aid International.
Wendy has no plans to leave Book Aid International and will continue to play a vital role in the organisation's work. She told us,
“It sounds a long time but time passes quickly when you are enjoying yourself. Over the years I have seen many changes but one thing has remained the same and that is the commitment to improving lives in the developing world.”
Wendy's original involvement with Book Aid International came about through her membership of the Inner Wheel service organisations whose members are committed to volunteering. She first joined the organisation when they were based in Kensington Barracks and then continued supporting them when they moved into the old Hohner Harmonica factory on Coldharbour Lane 17 years ago. The charity continues to work from these premises, sending out around 600,000 books each year while also helping to strengthen the book trade in the countries where it works so that culturally relevant and locally affordable books will be available in the future.