Author’s novel idea to help train journeys rattle by

A local author has come up with a novel idea to help passengers pass the time on journeys.

Transcript

00:00We're in Hartlepool's train station and I'm with author Sharon Birch.

00:05Sharon, you've opened a little library here. What's the idea behind it?

00:09Well, I've just got so many books, and I absolutely love books,

00:12but when we downsized the house I just had far too many,

00:15and I just, it really struck, I couldn't really part with them,

00:19so I wanted to do something positive.

00:21So I just thought, well, I travel a bit for work,

00:23and I go to lots of different train stations,

00:25and there's lots of bookcases in different train stations,

00:28but there isn't one here, and I'm all about helping people read

00:31and raising the literacy levels of the town,

00:34because we get criticised quite a lot for our area,

00:37and I just think this is such a positive thing to do,

00:40and I really struggle to part with bookcases, but I had too many,

00:43and I just thought, well, why not give a bookcase and some books to the station?

00:46And that really helps, and people can come and exchange,

00:49they can take one, they can donate to charity if they wish,

00:52but we're not putting a charity box there,

00:55it's a feel-good thing, and people can be free to take them,

00:58and come back and exchange them, or bring others that want to leave,

01:03it's just like a give-give, win-win.

01:05What's been your reaction?

01:07Oh, fabulous, so many positive responses on social media,

01:10it's been spread and shared across all the different forums,

01:13I've had people message me who I don't know, saying it's a marvellous idea,

01:17and they've come and exchanged books, they've come and left some of their books,

01:20and I hope we can keep it going.

01:23Would you encourage people to take a book, and then bring another one back?

01:26If they can, absolutely, or share the book, give it on, give it on,

01:30because it's all about reading, and we've got fabulous libraries in the town,

01:33and people start finding an author that they really like,

01:36they can go and get some more books from the library,

01:38and it's just brilliant, just the whole idea of entering another world,

01:41and if you're getting on a train to London, you've got a three-hour journey,

01:44maybe more, depending on how long it takes,

01:47you can read a book, or get halfway through it at least,

01:49and read the rest of it on the way back, brilliant.