Surprise donation at Harrogate indie book store for district's schools

Imagined Things at Westminster Arcade on Parliament Street posted online Saturday that 100 of its books will now go towards schools across the area after a visit by author Will Dean.

They wrote: "The utterly amazingly brilliant @WillrDean has just been in to buy one hundred books for us to donate to local schools!!!!!! how amazing?!!! We're delighted!!!!"

Travelling to Harrogate from Sweden for the New Blood Panel at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival the author had visited the store around the time of it's opening last year. After seeing their appeal, made last month after making £12.34 in a day's trading, he said he wanted to show his support and help children in the area have access to books.

He said: "I noticed their tweet a while back saying things were tough so decided I’ll try to drop by and buy some books. It’s so difficult for independent bookshops these days. And then, on the walk to the shop, I got there two minutes before they closed, I realised the best thing would be for them to donate the books to local schools. It’s so important for all school kids to have access to books.

"I live in Sweden now but I grew up in the Midlands with few books around. Each one was very precious. I asked Imagined Things to choose the books and the schools as they’re the experts!"

He added: "I was luckily enough to be picked by Val McDermid for her New Blood panel. A dream come true! And it’s such a wonderful town and festival that I’ll be returning every year."

Owner of Imagined Things Georgia Duffy said: "It was a complete unexpected, he said that he wanted to just buy a few books when he came in. He is doing really well at the moment and he said that he wanted to give something back, it was a really nice thing of him to do."