A CROWDFUNDING plea to bring a community bookshop to St Helens town centre has reached its target of £40,000.

The project needed to achieve the minimum amount to become a reality. At about 4.45pm on Sunday the project hit the target.

The former Furniture Boutique on Bridge Street, part of Church Square Shopping Centre, will be transformed into a bookshop and could launch in March.

The £40k mark was the minimum target to unlock the matched funding and organisers will leave the appeal open in the coming days in an effort to reach £45k, which would secure additional funds.

Investment to the Crowdfunder appeal gathered pace in recent days – and with three days from the deadline the minimum total was reached.

The idea for a community bookshop was sparked by the closure of Westfield Street store Wardleworth's last year.

It is intended that the book shop will be owned and run by the community and exist for the benefit of the town.

The St Helens Book Stop, a community benefit society, was launched to realise the ambition, with the efforts of trustees Brian Leyland, Julia Cadman and Steven Davies and other members of the steering group, Anna Peacock, Nigel Wimpenny and Mike Gaskell. 

Dozens of St Helens residents have given their support and there is also high profile backing from people who were born in the borough but no longer live here.

They include St Helens-born Sir Michael Smurfit, one of Europe's most successful businessmen.

Others from outside the town but who grew up there and have subscribed for shares include Brendan O'Neill (ex-CEO ICI and Guinness Brewing Worldwide) choreographer Paul Harris, and Milton Grundy, the founder of Gray's Inn Tax Chambers who still goes to work at the age of 94.

Journalists Ray Connolly and David Lawrenson, author and journalist Charles Nevin and Andrew Lees, the neurologist and author, are other backers.

Closer to home, others to have invested include Saints skipper James Roby, the rugby league club's chairman Eamonn McManus, the Steve Prescott Foundation's Linzi Prescott, women's rugby league player Jodie Cunningham, ex-Premier League football referee Chris Foy, actor Phil Gwilliam and council leader David Baines.

Saints shareholder Michael Coleman is also on the investor list as is local fashion retailer Chris O'Dea, O2's Steve Roberts, Andy Reid's Standing Tall Foundation, ex council chief executive Mike Palin and former council leader Derek Long.

Other well known names have added their support, but asked for anonymity.

Trustee Brian says that as far as he is aware, this is the first community share project to have been launched in St Helens.

He believes the support shows the essence of a community share issue - which sees well known figures sit side by side with ordinary members of the public and local voluntary organisations.

He said: "It is an opportunity for all the stakeholders in the community to come together – every shareholder has one vote irrespective of the size of the shareholding so someone who has scraped together £50 has the same vote as Sir Michael Smurfit.

"I'm fairly certain it is the first such issue in St Helens and only the second in Merseyside. If successful we could be the blueprint for the future."

It is the aim for the building to be occupied in January 2021 with a view to opening the book shop's doors in March to coincide with World Book Day.

See sthelensbookstop.co.uk for more and get involved in the project on the Crowdfunder page by clicking here .

Anyone who has offered to volunteer for the bookshop is asked to email details to bookstopjobs@mail.com