New author Lee Schofield helped to launch a new bookshop in Pooley Bridge.
Verey Books is the realisation of one man’s boyhood dream, owner, Al Verey.
He said: “For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to work in my own bookshop, sharing my passion for poetry and literature with others. I want to be part of the antidote to online trawling and impersonal algorithms.
“I want to offer the opportunity for people to get back to browsing books in a physical space. Pooley Bridge is a such a thriving community – when I had the opportunity to create a bookshop here, I jumped at the chance! I’m absolutely thrilled that Lee kindly agreed to officially open our shop – I’m a huge fan of his writing and his work.”
RSPB Haweswater site manager, ecologist and author, Lee officially opened the shop to an invited audience with a reading from his first book Wild Fell: Fighting for Nature on a Lake District Hill Farm. followed by a Q&A with Al.
Wild Fell is Lee’s first book. In his day job he is leading efforts to breathe life back into two hill farms and their 30sq km of sprawling upland habitat around Haweswater.
The farms sit at the edge of the region’s largest reservoir, beneath which lie the remains of a submerged village. The area’s history has been a turbulent one for both its people and its wildlife, leaving its habitats in tatters.
However, this is not only a story of nature in recovery, it is also the story of Lee’s personal connection to place, and the highs and lows of working for nature amid fierce opposition.
Wild Fell is a call to recognise that the solutions for a richer world lie at our feet; by focusing on flowers, we can rebuild landscapes fit for eagles again. A landscape of flowers is a landscape of hope.
The bookshop is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm.
