MP - 'Books are my bag'

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has given his support to the Books Are My Bag campaign, a nationwide campaign designed to raise awareness of, and engagement with, local bookshops.

Books are My Bag is the biggest ever campaign for bookshops, which will be running right up to Christmas 2013. Over the last five years independent bookshop numbers have declined from 1535 to 1028 and the campaign is seeking to reverse this trend. WH Smith, Waterstones and almost 700 independent book stores have all pledged their support.

Tim has praised local small independent book shops in our area and singled out the well renowned book town of Sedbergh for specific praise.

The Sedbergh booktown project was started after the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in order to encourage an increase in the number of visitors, whose enjoyment of the beautiful countryside around Sedbergh supports the functioning of vital town centre amenities. The company, SedberghBookTown, was set up in 2003 to develop a community of businesses involved in selling, writing, publishing and designing books and other publications. Sedbergh started with an excellent base to build upon as a Booktown, with a printer's finisher (book maker), writers and several book selling businesses already based in the town. Since then more bookshops have opened and, in May 2006, Sedbergh was officially recognised as England's Booktown when it was elected into the International Organisation of Book Towns

Tim said: "I am delighted to support the 'Books are my Bag' campaign. Bookshops are an integral part of a thriving and independent high street. If we lose them, we also lose something valuable from our high streets, forever.

"I hope this campaign will help to prevent further closures of bookshops across the country and I encourage everyone to support their local bookshop. Books are, after all, a perfect gift for Christmas!"

Further information about the campaign can be found: http://www.booksaremybag.com/