Volunteers fill shelves with thousands of titles as Book Cycle opens new shop in Wigan borough

Volunteer-run charity Book Cycle has opened a new shop at Spinning Gate shopping centre in Leigh, where shoppers can choose what to pay for up to three books per day.

From fiction to non-fiction, history to modern day, children’s books and adults’ books, Book Cycle carries a huge stock with thousands and thousands of titles available.

Not only can shoppers buy books, they can donate them too, along with CDs, DVDs and vinyl records.

Book Cycle is located at the car park end of the mall within Spinning Gate.

It has other branches in Wigan, Beech Hill, Orrell, Somerset, Devon and even in Rome, as well as having mini book cycles in shops and community centres in Newcastle, Coventry, Exeter and Devon.

In some instances – such as the Orrell and Beech Hill sites – it has taken up residence in library buildings when services have either been forced to close or have moved to new premises.

Shopping centre manager Karen Cox said: “Wishing a very warm welcome to our latest store here at Spinning Gate Shopping Centre. Book Cycle add to our existing tenant mix of 39 stores within Leigh town centre.

"Book Cycle do some incredible work with book recycling and reusing. Their strong team of volunteers have worked really hard to prepare the store ready for shoppers to enjoy.”

Anthony Melling, owner of Book Cycle, said: “Opening our doors at our latest branch of Book Cycle at Spinning Gate is such an exciting time for us. We can’t wait to meet lots of new people from Leigh. Everyone is welcome to join us for a read and relax in one of our comfy seating areas within the branch, before deciding on what book to take home.

"Book Cycle is now open seven days a week and is manned by our dedicated team of wonderful volunteers who have worked tirelessly to fill the unit full of thousands of books, ready for everyone to read and enjoy.

"We are always looking for volunteers to help us run our new store, pop in to find out more.”

Spinning Gate now has 93 per cent occupancy, with 39 stores and just two vacant units.

Book Cycle also helps to reforest England by offering trees and information on sustainability, one of its mantras being “to take responsibility for the books we read and give something back to our surrounding flora and fauna, Book Cycle is committed to the planting of trees, the creation of permaculture and the extension of mutually beneficial habitats.”

And another of its movtives is, of course, to improve literacy and the love of learning.

If rare and valuable books are donated – and that includes anything above the £10 to £15 mark in price – they are treated by Book Cycle instead as objects of art. In other words they are collectible and these tomes they try to sell online in order to further their objectives.