THE owner of a Tavistock gift shop has organised a fundraising Book Swap to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Having a collection tin on the shop counter wasn’t enough for Penny Samuels, owner of Brocante of Devon – The Gift Experts, as she has now organised an additional way to raise funds.

She said: ‘I’ve personally supported CHSW for many years, as has the shop since we opened over three years ago, but I’ve always wanted to do more.

‘I love reading and have many surplus books, which gave me the idea for the Book Swap. I’ve also been asking family and friends to donate books, and they’ve been very generous.’

The large bookcase in the shop is currently full, with books spilling over onto other shelving.

The idea of the Book Swap is simple — you can swap a book of yours for one at the shop for 30p.

If you have no book to swap you can buy a paperback for 75p or a hardback for £1.25 and just put your donation in the CHSW collecting tin.

The official opening of the Book Swap took place last Wednesday, with West Devon Mayor Cllr Jeff Moody cutting the ribbon.

Penny added: ‘We’ve already achieved a good measure of success since we began the Book Swap and we would like to thank everybody who’s helped and donated.

‘We want to keep this initiative going in the long term so we’d be very grateful for donations of any books for adults or children which are in good condition.’

You can swap, buy or drop your books during Brocante of Devon’s opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9pm to 5pm and 10:30am to 3:30pm on Sundays.