Culture Perth and Kinross has thanked the public for its “heartwarming” response to their Book Hero fundraising campaign after donations passed the £2,000 mark.
The campaign to support Perth and Kinross libraries during lockdown raised more than £1,000 in its first few hours with public donations continuing to come in.
The Book Heroes campaign encourages people to donate around £7, the average cost of a book in efforts to save local libraries and museums from closing.
This is to help prevent the organisations facing further financial difficulties as the UK-wide lockdown continues.
A Culture Perth and Kinross spokesperson said: “The response from everyone has been overwhelming and the many amazing messages of support we have received through this appeal have really been heartwarming.
“To date, we have received over £2,000 in donations and Culture Perth and Kinross can’t begin to express our thanks to each and every one of the amazing #BookHero supporters.
“We have been sharing the messages from donors with our staff across the region who are missing their work and they have been so touched by the kind words people have taken the time send us.
“All the donations that Culture Perth and Kinross receive will go to help ensure we have an exciting and diverse range of books and resources available for babies, children, young people and adults to greet their return to our venues when that becomes possible.
“The books purchased with the money raised will all be identified with a #BookHero sticker so that people can see the direct impact of their generosity on our shelves.
“These valuable donations will be supporting the Perth & Kinross community and local libraries in a unique and meaningful way.”
Chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, Helen Smout previously told The Courier the high level of public support have “really boosted the team”.
She added: “The income we raise this way goes directly into the running of our services across the region, allowing us to reach out to the furthermost communities and most vulnerable individuals.
“With our venues closed to the public, we are no longer able to generate income, impacting on our budgets and resources we have available for these services.”
Donations to the campaign can be made on the Culture Perth and Kinross website.
