What is a Community Book Swap?

A Book Swap is an event where you can bring along books that you no longer want and swap them for books that you do! Fiction, non-fiction, kids books, adults books, recipe books. Any genre as long as it’s in decent enough condition for someone else to enjoy.

At the Great Ashby Community Centre our Community Book Swaps are free events. There is no entry fee and we don’t charge for any books that you want to take. (Of course, we never say no to cash donations which go towards running the community centre!)

All we ask is two things:
1. You either return any books that you have read (and have finished with) or pass them on to someone else to read and enjoy.
2. A Book Swap works best when you bring back the books you have finished reading. By taking books for schools, nurseries and other organisations, we don’t get them back for other people to enjoy. So please be fair to the ethos of the event and only take enough books that you (and your family) can reasonably read before the next one. (And no selling the books that you have received for free from our Book Swap either!)

All books at the event have been donated by the community. Don’t worry if you don’t have any to bring, come and pick one up anyway. Perhaps you can donate next time.

In addition to the books, we have a pop-up tea room, selling tea, cafetiere coffee and soft drinks to enjoy at the event with friends or family or to take away. All cash donations as well as proceeds from the sale of the drinks go to the charity that runs our centre.

Our first Great Ashby Community Book Swap was held in May 2021 and was an instant success! We try to hold three per year. In previous years these have been in the Spring, Summer and late Autumn.

When is the next event?

Our 12th event will take place on Sunday 13th April, 2pm to 4pm.
Due to how popular the book swaps have become, we will be in Hall 1, to give us more space. After a sell-out stall at our January event, Great Ashby’s Lottie’s Sweet Tooth will be joining us again with her cakes and bakes, as part of our pop-up tea room.

Follow our Facebook page for announcements and any further details nearer the time.