You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love… Books! I love to browse books, borrow books, lend books, buy books, read books, read about books, talk about books, collect books, collect different editions of the same book and preserve books. Welcome to my world!  

I discovered the wondrous magic of reading in childhood, and it is something which has shaped my life ever since. The profound ability of a book to metaphorically take you anywhere cannot be understated. The first few words of a good story stir the imagination and enable us to leave the realm of possibility altogether. 

My love for books led me to qualify as a Librarian over a decade ago. Since then, I’ve worked in some incredible libraries, and my favourite of those were school libraries. There is something magical about watching children and young adults discover a new story for the very first time. A moment of pure joy was when a student, disenchanted with the usual suspects on the fiction shelves, asked me for a recommendation of something new. I picked up Pride and Prejudice and handed it to her. The following week she burst into the library with a look of utter fulfilment - the sort only a great book can make us feel - and said she absolutely loved it, what's next?  

My favourite picture book was, and still is, the iconic ‘Five Minutes’ Peace’, by Jill Murphy. The writing, the clever illustrations and the everyday chaos of life with young children is so joyfully and accurately reflected in this timeless story. I loved the story as a child but even more so as a mum to young children in the precious season of early childhood. The shift in perspective is profound and I’m sure many of us can relate to Mrs Large when she has her very precise ‘three minutes and forty-five seconds of peace’ before they all come to join her! What a testament to the legendary Jill Murphy that the books have never been out of print; the honest simplicity in her writing alongside the innocent wonder and imagination of her main characters gives her stories such enduring appeal.  

Alongside becoming a Librarian, I have always held on to another dream; of one day opening a bookshop of my very own... which brings us here.  

Wonder belongs to us all and my passion is to nurture a love of reading for pleasure in children and young adults – a love that continues well into adulthood. HoneyPot Bookshop is a home devoted to the unsurpassed delights of reading, writing and storytelling. I sincerely believe in the benefits of reading for pleasure for all ages, and especially in reading to children. The National Literacy Trust and Booktrust have long highlighted the immense benefits that reading can provide.