A safe space for people and words

All communities need safe spaces. Self-published authors struggle to find space in mainstream bookshops. Pre-loved books gather dust in corners when they could be used to benefit others or be re-purposed into beautiful art.

With a physical shop in Worcester we can offer a home for those authors, accept secondhand books which can be gifted to families, people in social isolation,  sold for charities, or repurposed into beautiful arts and crafts.

The shop will also provide a community hub and safe space for community / individual use, providing facilities for advice, counselling, education. Several local charities offering bereavement and emotional support have pleaded with me to make this space available as soon as possible, and a local teacher of English as a second language has clients who need her support being new to our country, but she has no affordable neutral space to offer this service.

We wish to open a cafe on site, allowing people to sit and rest in comfort, with a freely accessible reading shelf (a mini-library if you like) to while away the stress of the day. Somewhere where all are welcome, with affordable refreshments or simply a safe quiet corner if that is what is needed. And when we say all, we mean all - irrespective of identity, this will be a calm and welcoming place.

A social board will be made available signposting advice and support for all sections of the community.

Worcester also has a vibrant literary festival (Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe) which connects spoken word artists and events with charities, but has no permanent home, relying on the goodwill of various establishments to host them. Script Haven would be able to offer that home and use events to raise funds for and awareness of local good causes and charities.

We already have a website set up, which also accepts donations for the cost of a cup of coffee (£2.50) which is passed directly on to UK troops on deployment.

In the first two weeks of marketing our services, we have have received in excess of 200 secondhand books, many of which are already on their way to families and individuals through local community organisations, or being sold to raise funds for charity. We will soon be in desperately need of storage space which a shop would provide.