Free bookshop to leave Stanley Square but searches for a new home

A much-loved community bookshop in Sale will close its doors in Stanley Square at the end of October – but is on the hunt for a new location.

The GET Free Books shop, run by national charity the Global Educational Trust, has been part of the town centre since 2017. For the past eight years, Stanley Square has generously supported the initiative by providing a rent-free space.

Announcing the move, a shop spokesperson said: “Sadly we’ll be moving on from our current shop at the end of this month. We’d like to thank Stanley Square Sale for all their support over the last 8 years and the 3 different premises that they’ve provided for us during that time. They’ve been brilliant!

"We’re busy looking for new premises but we will have to close for a while to pack everything up and get somewhere new sorted. We’ll let you know when we have a closing date, but to give us a fighting chance of being able to pack everything up we’re stopping taking book donations from now on.”

During its time in Sale, the shop has given away thousands of books, helped prevent waste and created a warm and welcoming space for volunteers and visitors alike.

Stanley Square, along with Trafford Council, has been working with GET to try to secure a new venue, but none has yet been found. Stanley Square general manager Tony Martin said what was initially planned as a short-term pop-up grew into eight years of support: “At Stanley Square we have always had a strong ethos on supporting charitable organisations and community initiatives and it has been a pleasure working with the volunteers that have kept the GET Free Bookshop operating. We will be sorry to see them go.”

Since the news broke, the shop has been inundated with messages of support from the community. Locals have shared their well wishes, called for crowdfunding to keep the shop running and even offered space within their own businesses – a reflection of how highly respected the bookshop has become and the generosity of Sale’s business community.

Junaid Rahim, trustee of the Global Educational Trust, paid tribute to the support received in Sale: “On behalf of the Global Educational Trust, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the team at Stanley Square Shopping Centre for generously allowing us the use of vacant shop units since 17th July 2017.

“During this time, we have proudly operated a GET Free Books Shop, providing the local community with free books to promote literacy and prevent thousands of books from ending up in landfill. The shop has become a welcoming space where individuals can drop in for a friendly chat and good company, helping to build meaningful community connections. It has also offered a valuable volunteering opportunity for local people, allowing them to contribute to a positive and impactful initiative – we would like to thank everyone who has visited and supported us over the years.

“As a national charity in other locations, we don’t get to stay very long so to have been supported by Stanley Square for so long has been amazing!”

While the doors may soon close in Stanley Square, the hope is that the GET Free Bookshop will find a new home in Sale – and continue its mission of sharing books, preventing waste and bringing people together.

This article was updated on 03 October to include a statement from GET Free Books Sale confirming that the shop is seeking new premises after leaving Stanley Square.