Supporters of an independent Taunton bookshop raised more than £5,000 in three days towards repairs after part of the ceiling collapsed, writes Phil Hill.
Water started dripping through the roof at Brendon Books, in Bath Place, before Christmas.
Owners Lionel and Jo Ward have positioned buckets on the shop floor to catch the rainwater, which they have to empty every day.
"We’ve had several leaks over the years, which we’ve had repaired, but this is quite a major one," said Lionel.
"It was difficult getting it repaired at Christmas, but we were given an estimate and a date in January.
"We need some dry weather for the repairs to be carried out, but it’s been raining all the time, and we haven’t had two days together when it’s been dry.
"It has got a bit worse, and part of the ceiling fell in.
"We’ve had that awful feeling that we’ll come in one day and some more of the ceiling will have come down."
Lionel and Jo wondered how they were going to pay the repair bill, which could rise above £5,000 if further problems were discovered in the roof of the leased former brewery.
When Susie Thomas, champion of local independent businesses and owner of Rocket and Bird gift shop in St James Street, heard of the couple’s plight, she suggested crowdfunding.
Within three days of Susie posting an appeal on GoFundMe, the £5,000 target had been passed.
Lionel said: "We’ve been absolutely blown away by people’s generosity.
"We’ve had donations ranging from £5 to £1,000 and some people have come in to donate cash.
"We value every contribution.
"I’m really grateful to Susie for what she’s done and a big thank you to everyone who has contributed."
The next step is to get in the builders, with the added fears that the bill could rise if they discover further issues in the roof.
Brendon Books, which has around 20,000 new and second-hand books in stock, was established by Lionel and Jo 37 years ago and became a Community Interest Company in 2014.
"We did that because we feel so close to the community," added Lionel.
"We’re tied up with Taunton Literary Festival, promote other arts things and do lots of co-operative stuff with The Brewhouse and Taunton Library.
"A lot of our customers are friends and often drop in for a chat.
"We can’t thank them enough now for their support."
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