Book donation initiative with Silverwood School

At Dorothy House, we are always keen to work with and support our local community. We also like to find innovative ways to reduce waste and ensure we make the most of all the donations we receive. With this in mind, we were thrilled when Steve Lanson-Dale, Curriculum Lead at Silverwood School, contacted us about the need to help fill their libraries with any books we could offer them.

Silverwood School and Dorothy House book donation partnership

Silverwood School caters for pupils with special educational needs that cannot be met in mainstream provision, some of whom are terminally ill. The school caters for three hundred and sixty pupils from the ages of four to nineteen. Silverwood has three campuses: Chippenham, Rowde and Trowbridge, including an associated post-16 provision which is linked to Chippenham Campus.

They offer three learning pathways:

• Formal, for students with a cognitive capacity to engage in formal learning lessons,
• Semi-Formal, for students with limited cognitive capacity who can engage with some elements of formal learning,
• and Pre-formal, for students who require a more experiential and sensory learning journey.

The school has three main libraries and two peripheral ones, with the aim to offer a library space for each classroom. With only £2,000 in funding to fill the libraries with books, Steve reached out to a number of charities and organisations to request donations. We were very happy to help with such a worthy cause which aligns so closely with our own values.

“Our strap line is ‘Building Community, Inspiring Learning’ so I cannot think of a better link with yourselves in order to be able to do this!” – Steve Lanson-Dale

A positive solution for Silverwood School and Dorothy House

Among the generous donations we receive, we have many books that we are unable to sell as they are damaged or have been written in. This initiative has offered a brilliant solution to dealing with waste and has been so well received by our volunteers, who are now all on the lookout for books for Silverwood.

The children of Silverwood School have benefitted greatly from the books. For those unable to read , or to see the pictures, they are offered a sensory story time experience by the dedicated staff.

Ruby and Charlie in Year 9 reading one of our donated books to Aaron, a reception class student.

“We are so very fortunate to have made a special link with Dorothy House,  offering us the books that might otherwise be rejected. We’re going to value them immensely and ensure that they are used throughout Silverwood…Popping those books into classrooms put immediate smiles on the faces of staff as they know just how critical they are.” – Steve

Juliette Finch, Retail Recruitment and Training Coordinator at Dorothy House, has been instrumental in organising the initiative.

“I think it is so important to let people know how much their donations can help people in unexpected ways. We are so happy to be making use of our resources to help the community.”

We are so pleased Steve reached out to us and we were able to support his request.

“This leads me quite poignantly to say a massive “thank you” as our budget would never be able to stretch to this. I think it is a very stark reminder of the times. The financial climate has certainly changed and resources are ever more expensive. Again, a huge “thank you” for your help.” – Steve

Donate to Dorothy House

We are grateful for any and all donations to our shops, and you can be safe in the knowledge we will do everything we can to ensure they do the most good for our community. Find out all about donating your goods here. Or alternatively, you can support Dorothy House by making a financial donation here.