Appeal launched in Northamptonshire to donate children's books to Yorkshire school devastated by flooding

Burnley Road Academy in Calderdale suffered severe damage during the recent flooding, which affected 16,000 homes across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and parts of Scotland.

The Northamptonshire Emergency Response Corps (NERC), a community organisation and charity that brings together the various agencies involved in emergency response in the county, is now launching an appeal, supported by Northamptonshire County Council, to help the school replace the hundreds of books it lost in the floods.

Joanne Maddams, county council emergency planning officer and lead for the NERC, said: “Like many people, when I saw the devastation caused by the floods over the Christmas period, I really wanted to help.

“A teacher from Upton Meadows Primary School in Northampton got in touch with me and came up with the great idea of sending books to those schools that had been affected.

“Through firefighters from Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service who were helping with the relief effort in Yorkshire, I was put in contact with a school in Calderdale which had lost all its books in the flood, and so we thought we would try to help them rebuild by launching an appeal for book donations.

“Flooding can happen to any of us, so I’m asking people across Northamptonshire who have been moved by what has happened in northern England and Scotland to support the children and staff at Burnley Road Academy by donating books to our appeal.”

Burnley Road Academy was flooded in the torrential rain on Boxing Day. The school, which teaches children aged four to 11, lost thousands of pounds of equipment and will be closed for six months while extensive repairs are carried out. In the meantime, pupils are being taught in a nearby school.

Head teacher of Burnley Road Academy, Claire Cope, said: “It was extremely sad to see thousands of dirty, soggy books being carried out of our classrooms and libraries. The children have lost all their reading books as well as their library books so we would be very grateful to receive donations and get everyone reading again.”

The school would welcome donations of good-quality dictionaries and fiction and non-fiction books suitable for three to 11-year-olds.

People can donate books at the following libraries in Northamptonshire:

Northampton Central library in Abington Street

Kettering library in Sheep Street

Corby library in George Street

Wellingborough library in Pebble Lane

Rushden library in Newton Road

Daventry library in North Street

Towcester library in Moat Lane

For more information about the book appeal, call Joanne Maddams on 01604 361351.