Books for Amnesty Reopens at 181 King Street

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Much missed bookstore back after being forced to shut in January

Books for Amnesty, the much-loved Hammersmith treasure trove of rare books, has reopened at its new site at 181 King Street - much to the delight of customers, volunteers and staff.

H&F Council offered the bookshop a new home after it was forced to move in January from its site further down the street, which is now being redeveloped.

" We couldn’t stand by and watch such a much-loved community bookshop disappear from Hammersmith," says Cllr Andrew Jones, H&F Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration.

" We know, like us, residents are delighted to have it back trading in time for Christmas."

Amnesty International’s retail manager Tamsin Pugh said it was fantastic to be back in King Street where they will stay for the next 18 months.

" A lot of our customers have come to see us to say how happy they are. It was so sad to have to move away," she says.

The Hammersmith bookshop began as a stall based at the Hammersmith & City Line tube station fundraising for local campaigns. Two of its key founders Dick Langton, who died last year, and Christine Pain, who died in 2013, were instrumental in finding a shop at a cheap rent which was entirely run by volunteers until Amnesty’s head office stepped in to pay the rent after it increased.

The bookshop was the first ever run by Amnesty and gave them the idea to open more in other parts of the country. It now has seven bookshops nationwide.

The shop’s new manager Evi Noula heads a team of 15 volunteers and more are already signing up. " It’s really nice to hear from so many people who have been saying how happy they are to see us again," says Evi. " Eight volunteers have come back even before we reopened."

The shop will be holding a special Christmas shopping day on December 10 to mark Human Rights Day, when it will stay open late until 7pm.

November 13, 2015