Lifeline Bookfest outgrows its home

BOOKS donated to the Bookfest have outgrown Lifeline’s distribution warehouse and will this week be moving to a new home around the corner.

Lifeline Brisbane’s Bookfest runs twice a year at the Brisbane Convention Centre in January and June selling approximately 4 million books annually.

Lifeline Bookfest Coordinator, Roy Frith said the new warehouse will provide the Book supervisor and his team of volunteers with extra space.

“The new warehouse will provide the Book team with 1000 square metres of dedicated Bookfest space to store, sort and price books,” Mr Frith said.

“This move will provide Lifeline with the means to continue to hold and grow Bookfest events in Brisbane,” Mr Frith said.

For the first time, the Lifeline Bookfest broke the $1 million dollar mark in January this year.

The next event, starting this weekend, is open for four days and is expected to raise over $150,000 a day.

“The first day is always our biggest, with book lovers lining up in the foyer like it’s a Boxing Day sale,” Mr Frith said. “They just love it."

The money raise at the Bookfest directly supports Lifeline’s generalist and specialist counselling services.

Acting Client Services Manager, Jane Hague, said the Bookfest is a vital fundraiser.

“The Bookfest provides us with essential funds for our programs, which are always at high demand,” Ms Hague said.

“In addition to our generalist face-to-face programs, we also run specialist programs such as a school counselling program, suicide bereavement groups, and a domestic violence counselling course,” she said.

“Lifeline also provides financial counselling services, community development programs and crisis and trauma response,” Ms Hague said.

“The best thing about buying at the Bookfest is that you can be assured the money you spend is directly helping your community,” Ms Hague said.

Volunteering positions are still available. For information on volunteering, please visit www.lifelinebookfest.com.

BOOKFEST BOOK BROWSING TIPS

- Wear comfortable shoes – there are 4km of tables and two million books to browse!

- Trolleys will be available for hire, but if you’re catching public transport, make sure you’ve got your own trolley or bag big enough for all your bargains.

- Make sure you give yourself enough time to browse – to look through all three sections, you’ll need at least one hour.

- Know your friends and family’s favourite authors – the Bookfest is a great place to pick up presents.

- Remember – Tuesday is Sale Day!

Opening hours:

Open June 12-15

8:30am – 8:00pm Saturday to Monday

8:30am – 5:00pm Tuesday