If you would like to contribute to the Giving Tree but cannot make it into the shop you can make a purchase online here
“To quote the book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein: Once there was a tree…../and she loved a little boy. Well, our giving tree is a tree that likes to give to boys and girls of Oxford who are less fortunate than most and our tree, just like the one in the book, (and with your wonderful help), gives and gives to make sure children all over Oxford wake up on Christmas morning with a smile on their face and present to open. There’s nothing better than the gift of reading and what better way to share that gift with a child who really needs it.”
Ben Titchener, Children’s Department
Our wonderful Christmas Giving Tree 2014 has launched! Huge thanks to authors Jo Cotterill, Susie Day, Robin Stevens and Sally Nicholls for giving it such a fine launch – you can read Jo’s account here.
This is a scheme which invites customers at Blackwell’s to choose and donate books which will then be wrapped up by staff in our Children’s Department and delivered by The Children’s Society to disadvantaged children who may otherwise go without this Christmas. The Giving Tree is something we have got behind for three years now and the people of Oxford have been wonderfully generous in making Christmas better for the recipients of Giving Tree gifts.
We are only too aware that many children and young people may not have the opportunity to visit bookshops such as ours. More to the point they may not even have access to books at all. We want to help change that, and The Giving Tree has proven to be a brilliant way to do so.
Children represented by The Children’s Society choose a book they would like as a present. We then hang their wished-for title on a tag on our Tree ready to be picked off by our customers to buy for the child. There is also the option of buying a book not specified by a particular child but which you have fond memories of or feel would make the perfect gift, which will then be presented to an appropriately aged recipient. Comedian David Mitchell has already got involved by donating a copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which he loved as a child.
The Children’s Society has helped changed children’s stories for over a century. We expose injustice and address hard truths, tackling child poverty and neglect head-on. We fight for change based on the experiences of every child we work with and the solid evidence we gather. Through our campaigning, commitment and care, we are determined to give every child in this country the greatest possible chance in life.3.7 million children live in poverty in the UK. With your help, we’re working to improve children’s lives.
So this Christmas, while shopping for gifts and treats, why not take a moment to buy a present for a child less fortunate than most? Even if you are not able to get to the shop, you can participate in the Giving Tree online!
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