Children in a deprived town have been given an opportunity to excel thanks to a unit in a Merseyside shopping centre.
Kingsley & Co. has proven popular with children and parents alike in Bootle.
The bookshop and learning space was created by local charity Ykids after a successful pop up event in 2013 saw thousands of children get involved with books.
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Following Sefton Council's purchase of the Strand, it meant that the charity could open Kingsley & Co. permanently on the bottom floor of the centre.
The charity uses Kingsley & Co to help address the poor literacy rates in Bootle, as well as becoming the only bookshop in the area along with learning space and interactive workshops,
They work with schools to arrange workshops and host workshops of their own for children to attend.
Ykids CEO Claire Morgans spoke passionately about the work the charity are doing with those in the area.
She told the ECHO: "The thing is we've been in Covid most the time [since we opened] so we've not been able to do a proper impact report however at the 'Dino Dig' we did a lot of evaluating of post Covid recovery and bringing the community back together. We wanted to offer family an opportunity who couldn't afford to go on holiday or do other things.
"The feedback we got was that people loved the quality of the event and the way people were treated. They thought the staff were amazing. The staff really valued every child.
"I say staff but it was 50% staff 50% volunteers and most of them are young people themselves. I think it's about creating community.
"The difference we're making in Bootle at the moment is about creating community, is about making children excited, having a reason to come to the Strand. Long term we hope to have an impact on literacy but we haven't been able or open long enough without being shutdown again to be able to make those comparisons.
"We have other challenges as well like the Strand closes at 5.30pm and kids are in school so the only really time we have with kids is at the weekend. The long term aim is to have our own place but that's a bit of a long way off but hopefully when the Strand knocks down and rebuilds we'll be part of that.
"We also have long term plans of creating an augmented reality experience, something we're talking about at the moment. What we've found is that people are telling us that it's a fantastic place for the whole family to come and that kids love having books but one of the things that people tried to tell us was that kids don't want books.
"That's not true and they love having books. It also means they can now afford them because they're only a pound. You see children walking out with 10 books and they're thrilled to bits, parents are happy their children are buying books because they're so expensive so for people to have access to them is huge and life changing.
"It's having a massive impact on the lives of people in general. I've seen our volunteers change and grow in their confidence and their skills. It's driving footfall into the Strand and making people feel proud of their town again.
"The amount of times we hear negative press about Bootle is ridiculous. 'Oh, the Strand's rubbish' when was the last time you went? 'I haven't been for years' well how do you know it's rubbish? The Strand community group, with all the community organisations that are in the Strand now, we are trying to make a concerted effort to raise the profile of Bootle.
"It's amazing what little things happen in this place and amazing, wonderful people. Stop putting it down, especially people who don't even live here!"
Ykids and Kingsley & Co. offered a summer event last year called the "Dino Dig", and now their third Bootle Literacy Festival is set to attract thousands of children over a two week period, with the event starting on November 6.
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