Acorn Book Club (the book charity run by Acorn Group) recently unveiled one of its biggest projects yet – an extensive refurbishment of a Camberwell primary school library.

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The South London primary school first made contact with Acorn Book Club in early 2020 when they asked for a donation of books to help restock their uninspiring library. Language Coordinator, Lydia Baldwin, had been desperate to revamp the school library space for years but despite her best efforts, restrictive funding and lack of spare time meant the room was left unused and primarily a dumping ground. Following a visit to the school, ABC’s Emma Fox began design work with Lydia and other key members of staff to create a bespoke library space that would prove to be beneficial to all children in the school, with a focus on those with special educational needs.

“We could never have imagined 18 months ago that the library would ever look like this”


The launch in September featured individual sessions by local storyteller Vanessa Woolf and showcased the finished library space to delighted pupils and teachers alike. Lydia said: “We could never have imagined 18 months ago that the library would ever look like this. It’s been such a rewarding and collaborative process and the impact made by Acorn Book Club is absolutely invaluable.” In addition to the vast amount of books donated by ABC via the local public, a selection of hand-picked books focusing on the diversity of the community were purchased new. ‘I can’t stress how important it is that our pupils see themselves represented in the books in their library,’ said Amber Hardwood, Literacy Lead. ‘This combination of books is perfect and will no doubt encourage a love of reading across the entire school.’

Throughout the project, Acorn Book Club worked with the school on the design to include a muted colour palette and soft furnishings which will provide a calm and comfortable environment for the children to enjoy.

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Acorn Book Club is a registered charity and relies on the donation of quality pre-loved children’s books to continue its mission to get books into the hands of children who need them most. If you work for a school and would like to discuss a potential project, please contact Operations Manager, Jo Chandler at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..