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The National Literacy Trust has raised more than a quarter of a million (£251,000) by auctioning the 50 BookBench sculptures.
The illustrated benches, all based on different books, had spent 10 weeks on display at various London locations as part of the NLT’s Books about Town project.
The NLT last night (7th October) sold the benches at an auction to raise funds for improving literacy in disadvantaged areas.
The most popular bench was Jeeves and Wooster painted by Gordon Allum, which sold for £9,500. The James Bond Stories bench, painted by Freyja Dean and the War Horse bench, designed by Rae Smith and painted by Gerard Strong, both sold for £9,000.
Jonathan Douglas, director of the NLT, said: “In these challenging economic times the need to address the national literacy challenge has never been more urgent and we’re thrilled that with the vital funds raised by Books about Town, the National Literacy Trust can continue to make a difference in the UK’s poorest communities, raising levels of literacy and opening up new opportunities.”
He added: “The response to Books about Town over the summer was extraordinary – people from all over the world flocked to see the beautifully designed BookBenches and fell in love with them.”
Several children’s illustrators and authors took part in the project, including Lauren Child, Cressida Cowell and Axel Scheffler.