Book hunt for Warrington children gets funding boost

Jacob’s Jungle Book Hunt was created by Warrington mum, Mel Blanchard, after discovering that nearly 20 per cent of children do not own a book.

She wanted to create a 'fun and accessible' way for Warrington children to get their hands on books.

Ms Blanchard, who runs a pop-up Usborne book shop called Jacob's Jungle of Books, organised the book hunt across Warrington to start from the school holidays in May until the end of the summer holidays.

In that time, she has hidden more than 2,500 books in places such as Warrington Market, Walton Gardens, and Alexandra Park.

Out of the 2,500 books hidden, more than 300 were purchased with a donation from Redrow.

These books were hidden in the Daresbury area, close to the housebuilder’s Daresbury Garden Village on Delph Lane.

The book hunt was named after Mel Blanchard's son, Jacob (Image: Mandy Jones) Ms Blanchard said: "I love reading books to my children and so when I read that some children don’t have any books, it made me really sad and I wanted to do something about it.

"Jacob’s Jungle Book Hunt has helped children to have access to their own books and once they are finished they can either keep it or re-hide it for others to find."

To keep the excitement going, Mel has also been sharing clues on Facebook about where the books are hidden and encouraging people to share their finds.

Chris Edwards, area sales manager at Redrow NW, said: "What a great initiative Jacob’s Jungle Book Hunt is.

"When Mel applied to our community fund, we knew it was something we wanted to help.

"Hiding the books during the school holidays will also encourage children to continue practicing their reading skills even when they’re not in school.

"It’s been great to follow the initiative on Facebook and see photos of children with their new books."

Redrow’s donation came from a community fund linked to Daresbury Garden Village.

The £6,000 fund has been shared between nine groups and good causes local to the development.