As anyone with the same appetite for books as the A&B office will know (and which Chiara has demonstrated in her recent hunt for new bookshelves), there comes a time when it is impossible to keep any more books. When your bookcases are so full that you’re stacking books on the floor around that piece of furniture, you know you have a problem.

I had one of my epic clear-outs a few weeks ago, with much soul-searching… yes it was a fantastic read, yes it made me cry in places, but it’s gotta go! So, after heaving a laden box to my local Oxfam I was encouraged to sign up for their gift aid scheme. They somehow manage to keep track of your donations and when they sell the goods they are able to claim back the tax – cool eh? Even better when you get an email reminding you of your donation and the amount is put into actual figures and a context.

Dear Lesley-anne,

Thank you for being part of Tag Your Bag – our brilliantly simple scheme that allows us to claim Gift Aid on the sale of the goods you donate to our shops. You’re helping us raise vital cash to fight poverty worldwide.

Since April, Oxfam has raised £16.22 from the sale of your goods. And thanks to Tag Your Bag we can claim an additional £4.57 as Gift Aid – a grand total of £20.79.

That’s enough to buy 200 bars of soap to help prevent the spread of disease during a humanitarian crisis.

Not a bad thought. So, the next time you’re lugging some books to Oxfam, take a moment and sign up – well worth it! (And speaking of lugging, tagging and bagging, may I recommend our A&B jute bag as the perfect means to carry your donations to Oxfam – it’s amazing how many books you can fit in it!)

Lesley-Anne Crooks. Sales & Digital Manager