A LIBRARIAN has been giving away the gift of a good story to people on their daily lockdown exercise in a bid to “help them put aside their everyday worries” during the lockdown.

Jenine Davey, 31, has been setting up a bookstall on her driveway in Inglenook, Clacton, from which passers-by are encouraged to pick-up their next read.

The range of paperbacks and hardbacks, which cater to a variety of literacy tastes, previously occupied Jenine’s bookshelves, and were otherwise destined for the bin.

The passionate bookworm, however, decided they may be a welcome addition to someone else’s home, even if they may have outstayed their welcome in her own.

She then decided to generously give away her horde of books for free, to anyone on their permitted daily exercise who happened to spot her stall.

“We were having a sort out of our bookshelves and thought leaving them out for other people to collect while on their daily exercise would be better than chucking them away,” said Jenine.

“I didn’t actually think there would be such a positive response to it, but I am glad people are taking the opportunity to read more and explore different genres.

“There’s actually nothing wrong with the books, and most of them are practically brand new – anything which gets more people reading can never be a bad thing.”

Jenine works as the manager of the Learning Resource Centre, at Tendring Technology College, an area like a library.

She therefore knows better than anyone the importance of a good read and the positive impact it can have, and her book giveaways have played into that way of thinking.

What started out as desire to get rid of some clutter, has turned into a way of providing an escapism to people feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of the pandemic.

“I am a librarian by trade, so I am very aware of how important reading can be to people’s mental health,” she added.

“Escaping into the world of a book can be extremely therapeutic because you can put aside your every day worries for a short while.

“I am sure there are people doing far more generous things with their time than little old me.

“But, I think we all need a mental time out every now and again, and perhaps now more than ever.”