Within a few weeks more than £620 had been raised by St Columba’s and the seven other churches in the area: St John's (Anglican); Selsdon Baptist; Salvation Army; Croydon Jubilee; St Francis’ (Anglican); Addington Methodist and St Mary's (Anglican).
With the help of Christian Book Promotions, 109 books by well-known Christian authors were then purchased. The authors included TV personalities such as Thora Hird, David Frost and Fiona Castle. The collection covered various aspects of faith in society, bible reading and prayer, including a wide range of books for children and young people. There were large-print editions for the elderly too.
On December 13 the books were presented to Sue Adams, Library Manager at Selsdon Library by Rev Mike Elcome, currently chairman of Churches Together in Selsdon & Addington, of which St Columba’s is a member. The Mayor of Croydon, Cllr Brenda Kirkby, was present for the event along with various local people.
The library had set up two special displays of the new books. By the end of the day several of them had already been taken out on loan. When visiting the library, you can recognise the books by the Churches Together in Selsdon & Addington sticker inside the front cover .