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We are thrilled to bring back our sell-out afternoon teas at House of Books & Friends. Dine in our elegant  ‘Gladstone Room‘ – the former cloak room of the Reform Club. Constructed in 1870, in the Venetian Gothic style, it was originally built as the club house  for Manchester’s Liberal …

This November, House of Books & Friends and the gunnercooke foundation are bringing back Connection Counts. Our community campaign which celebrates the small, everyday moments where connection is built and shared at the bookshop. We know that loneliness can affect anyone, at any stage of their life. We’ve seen first …

Please note: Our volunteer programme is currently not open for recruitment at the moment. We hope to recruit more volunteers in 2027 – thank you for your interest in supporting House of Books & Friends! Do you believe bookshops play a powerful role in bringing communities and people together?   We’re …

Created by Marmalade Trust, Loneliness Awareness Week (15 – 21 June) is a campaign dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness. It’s all about creating supportive communities by having open, honest conversations, acknowledging that loneliness affects us all at different times of our lives.  This year, the week coincides with Independent Bookshop Week, so we were super excited …

For Loneliness Awareness Week 2026, the gunnercooke foundation and House of Books & Friends invited all you aspiring writers and artists out there to enter our Adult Creative Writing and Art Competition! The task? To submit a short piece of writing and/or piece of art inspired by the theme of …