'Magic of Books' event at award-winning Bognor Regis bookshop to celebrate the transformative power of reading

The second annual ‘Magic of Books’ day is set to take place at Heygates Bookshop later this month.
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Set to kick off on July 30, organiser Jason Passingham hopes to celebrate all things related to the written word; including music, design and art.

Featuring surprise appearances by characters from books, a chance to meet a dalek, a slice of cake for children who come along in dress up and props from a range of films, the bookshop will also play host to a number of ‘story time’ reading events by authors like Kate Thompson and Sue Wickstead.

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Owner and organiser Jason Passingham said: “I really want to show people the magic contained within the pages of a book, and the easiest way to release it is to open it up and read. But to help show what we mean, we will be having things on the day that have been inspired by the words on the page, and these will include our very own Sword in the Stone, where you will be able to try and see if you have what it takes to pull out the sword, Platform 9 ¾ trolley and Hogwarts train tickets.”

Bookshop owner Jason Passingham at last year's event. Photo: Heygates Bookshop.Bookshop owner Jason Passingham at last year's event. Photo: Heygates Bookshop.
Bookshop owner Jason Passingham at last year's event. Photo: Heygates Bookshop.

He added: “Both children and adults’ literacy is a cause close to my heart, and anything we can do as a business to help encourage it, and maybe improve it, can only be a good thing, but like with all things, the spark of interest needs to be generated, and we hope days such as this will make that happen.

"This is our second year staging this event, and we very much hope that we will be able to make it an annual event in the town’s calendar, and grow it to an event that will get bigger and better each year, so if any cosplayers would like to pop along on the day to make it more of a magical experience for those attending, please feel free to do so. Our next-door neighbours at The Track have kindly provided us with green room facilities, so if you need

somewhere to get changed into your costume, we have it covered.”

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