The Sunday Times visits Bookbanks

In late 2025, as part of the Get Britain Reading Campaign, the Sunday Times paid a visit to our founding site, Bookbanks Dalston. Watch the short film they made here…

How Bookbanks Began

Founding director Emily Rhodes with Director Hattie Garlick. Photo by Charlotte Gray

When Bookbanks Founder Emily Rhodes began volunteering at her local food bank in Dalston, North East London in 2022, she soon noticed that people spent a long time waiting, often alone and at a low ebb.

“I’ve spent my whole life immersed in books - as a reader, writer, critic, bookseller, and running Emily’s Walking Book Club,” says Emily. “So, when I started helping at the food bank, I immediately thought that books could be a powerful way to offer relief. I felt sure that books’ twin powers of inspiration - providing worlds to escape day-to-day life - and connection - being easy conversation starters and forming a common ground between people - could be transformative to guests’ experience of using the food bank.”

Emily spoke to the food bank’s managers, volunteers and guests, culled books from her own overcrowded shelves, put up a few posters asking for local book donations, and finally turned a trestle table into a simple, pop-up bookstall. 

The impact was clear. On that first day, she gave out 50 books to the 35 people accessing the food bank, and she listened as people shared their opinions on Lee Child, Charlotte Bronte, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, compared their own versions of recipes to those in the cookbooks, and began to tell their own stories.

“I take books home to read with my son. It’s the best time; we are quiet together … If you haven’t got money, but you have a book, the book is knowledge and knowledge is good,” said Yusuf, Bookbanks Dalston

Emily  spent a year running this weekly stall, listening to guests and sourcing as wide a range of books as possible, till it became clear that the concept deserved a wider audience. 

Meanwhile, her fellow director, journalist Hattie Garlick, had also been volunteering at her local food bank in South Norfolk, learning both from the team running it and the community using it. Together, they then assembled a fantastic Board of Trustees and - in 2023 - registered Bookbanks as a CIO with the Charity Commission. (Our Registered Charity Number is 1204919.) Today, Bookbanks is established at 6 food banks across London, Norfolk and Manchester, and has distributed over 10,000 books, with more going out at a rate of 1,000 each month.  

Now, we need your help. In the next 3-5 years, we plan to partner with 30, across 6 UK regional hubs. This will increase the number of books we give out from 1,000 to 5,000 each month, and give the charity a presence in 1% of the country’s food banks. We cannot do this without your support. Together, we can change the story for thousands of families. Thank you.

Introducing Matthew’s Talks

Bookbanks is not just about distributing books. It’s about the conversations, community, inspiration and creativity those books can spark. 

We’re always asking ourselves how to deepen and enrich that impact and so, in March 2025, we launched a new and exciting project - Matthew’s Talks.

Matthew’s Talks is a new programme of live events, which take place quarterly inside our partnering food banks. Some of these (as the name suggests) are talks, given by an author about a book of theirs. Others are interactive workshops. All celebrate and explore the power of words in a way that’s interactive, inclusive, and - most importantly - exciting. 

Bookbanks ambassador and novelist Andrew O’Hagan  gamely agreed to give the very first Matthew’s Talk, and read from his latest book, Caledonian Road (pictured above). 

“I’m thrilled to be giving one of the inaugural Matthew’s Talks for Bookbanks,” he said. “We often think of reading as a solitary pleasure, but I firmly believe that books can also bring people together and I hope that this new series of events will become a much-needed means of doing just that, for people who could use a little more support.”

The inaugural event was held on 11 March 2025. Andrew gave a short reading, before answering questions from an audience of over 20 food bank guests, and signing free copies of his book.

“I do live book events every other day and I love them,” he said. “But my Bookbanks experience was truly magical —just a pause, for all of us, in our preoccupations, to help each other along as human beings. I felt inspired by the people who came today. It reminds me what writing and social engagement is really all about.’”

The response from guests was overwhelmingly positive. "It was inspirational because I'm a potential writer myself," said Douglas.

Andrew’s event was followed by two more, at other food banks with which Bookbanks partners. On 14 March, Helen Whitaker read from her novel Single in the Snow at the Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, resulting in one of our favourite ever pieces of guest feedback. “I came for the food, but I left with food for the soul!” said Grace.

Finally, on 18 March Hugh Aldersey-Williams read from Periodic Tales at Bookbanks Wymondham, even handing round some samples for a rapt audience to touch. “It's not everyday you get to meet a writer,” said Lenny. “My signed copy might be worth millions one day!” 

Matthew’s Talks are named in memory of, and supported by, the friends and family of Matthew McFadden. Matthew was born in Glasgow on 17th January, 1982 before moving to London aged ten, where he stayed for the rest of his life. Matthew loved reading, devouring everything from Terry Pratchett's wackiest novels to multi-volume historical tomes.  His deep love of books provided the bedrock for his fierce moral strength and his innate sense of other people's worth and dignity. He also loved conversation and was completely at ease talking to people from all walks of life, all beliefs and backgrounds.

At each of the events to which he lends his name, 25 free copies of the author’s book are distributed for free. Selfies are taken, books are signed, plates of biscuits and philosophical questions are shared. Our second season was every bit as phenomenal and impactful as the authors Anne Sebba and Hugh Aldersey-Williams (again!) gave talks and poet and artist Ruthie Collins led a creative workshop. Now, our third Matthew’s Talks season is set to launch. Stay tuned for the truly exciting details. 

It costs Bookbanks £300 to deliver each of these Matthew’s Talks. Could you contribute towards the cost of these transformative quarterly events? Every donation - big or small, one-off or regular - makes a huge difference. Thank you.