| Sedbergh
Booktown - Press Release
May
Day bank holiday weekend (30.04.05) marked the opening of the first phase of the
project to make Sedbergh England’s First Book Town. The
Book Town company opened its new premises, the Dales
and Lakes Book Centre which shares 72 Main Street, Sedbergh, with Sedbergh
Tourist Information which is also now being run by the Book Town company. The
project was started after FMD as an insurance agains the disappearance of very
welcome visitors, whose enjoyment of the beautiful countryside around Sedbergh,
supports the functioning of vital town centre amenities. The
Book Town company aims to grow a community of businesses to do with selling, writing,
publishing and designing books and other publications. It has an excellent base
to build upon, with several publishers, a printer’s finisher (book maker), writers
and several book selling businesses already being based in the town. Sleepy
Elephant, the first Book Town encouraged shop, opened eighteen months ago
and hopes to move to larger premises this year. The
Dales and Lakes Book Centre is a co-operative of established dealers who have
brought a variety o f second-hand books on all subjects to tempt collectors to
the new premises. Currently
there are twelve dealers in the centre with room for about six more. Orange
Skies, a music themed shop will open in about two months on Main Street, with
the old cinema premises at the north end of the town, snapped up by an experienced
dealer from Hay on Wye, due to open partly by August. There
are several further opportunities for dealers to move into the town at present
with premises available from 500 – 2000 sq.ft. There is also scope for other types
of business under the Book Town banner, particular lacks being a first class café
restaurant, a gallery and a dress shop. Rural
Regeneration Cumbria has supported the project from the outset and a very important
segment of its grant is aimed at publicising the project locally, nationally and
internationally. The
International Federation of Booktowns movement has grown from its start in Hay
on Wye 40 years ago to welcome book towns all over the world, Sedbergh will be
its newest recruit. Because of this international spotlight it is hoped that Sedbergh
will become increasingly important to the region as a honey-pot attraction for
both the Dales and Lakes. A
Festival of Books and Drama is planned for August/September when members of the
public will be able to meet the patrons of the Book Town, Eric Robson, George
Macdonald Fraser and Professor Tony Seaton. The
Festival will offer a varied programme with three original plays, several “meet
the author” sessions, story-telling fun for children, lectures on the technicalities
of books etc. This
innovative project aims to be “the best it possibly can be!” We are immensely
proud of Sedbergh and all it has to offer, the Book Town in Sedbergh will be a
gentle all-weather experience for all who love books and in offering our best
to visitors, we will safeguard our town against rural decline. Please
ring or email for further information:
Carole Nelson, Book Town Manager
tel:
015396 20034, 015396 20125 or 07812558830 email
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