Partnership Helps Keep the Joy of Reading Alive
A thoughtful new community partnership has solved a major practical hurdle for Much Wenlock Library’s volunteer home delivery service, ensuring local older adults and people living with dementia retain access to the joy of reading.
The library's volunteer-led service provides a vital lifeline to Much Wenlock residents who struggle with mobility, delivering books and crucial social interaction directly to their doorsteps. However, volunteers faced a frustrating problem: the standard plastic carrier bags they relied on to transport heavy hardbacks and audiobooks were prone to splitting mid-route, making deliveries difficult and awkward.
The solution came after Richard Belcham, Community Engagement Manager for Radfield Home Care Shrewsbury, visited Much Wenlock Library to introduce the branch to Radfield's new Day Care Centre. During a conversation with Karen Hardman of Shropshire Libraries, the issue of the unreliable, environmentally unfriendly plastic bags came to light.
Recognising an opportunity to support the volunteers, Radfield Home Care immediately stepped in to fund and donate some new, high-quality, custom-made canvas tote bags. Specially designed to handle the weight of heavy books, the durable new bags feature both the Shropshire Libraries and Radfield Home Care logos, alongside the fitting phrase: “Good books delivered with care.”
Karen Hardman of Shropshire Libraries expressed her gratitude for the donation: "We are absolutely thrilled with this donation. Our volunteers give their time so generously, and to have a local organisation like Radfield Home Care recognise their efforts and provide such a practical, beautiful solution means the world to us."
The new tote bags serve as a visible, moving symbol of the care, thought, and collaboration that goes into supporting independent, vulnerable adults across the region.
