Who we are
Emily Rhodes
Founding Director
Emily founded Bookbanks in 2022. A writer and journalist, with a background in bookselling, she is passionate about building communities around books. She runs Emily’s Walking Book Club, a 3,000-strong community which meets for monthly book walks on Hampstead Heath. Emily is the Designated Safeguarding Lead for Bookbanks.
Hattie Garlick
Director
Hattie is a journalist and author, who writes about health, families and the arts across the national press. She lives in Norfolk and is building our Bookbanks presence there.
Our Ambassadors
Andrew O’Hagan
Andrew was born in Glasgow. He has been nominated for the Booker Prize, was voted one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists in 2003, and won the E. M. Forster Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is Editor-at-Large of the London Review of Books and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
He says: ‘I am proud to be an Ambassador for Bookbanks, a fabulous charity aiming to offer books, and conversation about books, to people who could use a bit of support right now. I grew up in a family that needed help, and I’ll never forget how those things formed and enlarged my sense of community. I look forward to getting behind Bookbanks as it grows across the country. I feel that it is set to become a really important part of our lives as readers, writers, neighbours, and citizens.’
Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author and broadcaster. She has written nine fiction and non-fiction books. She is the creator and host of the chart-topping How To Fail podcast and the founder of Daylight Productions, elevating female and diverse voices in podcasting. As a journalist for many years, she wrote for multiple publications and has presented Radio 4's Open Book and the Sky Arts Book Club, judged the Women's Prize for Fiction, chaired the BBC National Short Story Award and is currently chair of the Sky Arts Prize for Literature 2024.
She says: ‘I am honoured to be part of Bookbanks. Books help us all understand each other and ourselves; they nurture our souls and encourage our imagination. Access to books and the drive for greater literacy is profoundly important, especially for those of us who are struggling, not just for escapism but for a reminder of our own humanity and dignity. Stories connect us when we feel alienated or alone and when life feels difficult or limited, books show us what is possible. I'm passionate about the fact that, alongside the crucial work of food banks, Bookbanks provides a way to nourish the spirit.’
Elizabeth Day
Our Board
Neil Griffiths
Chair
Neil is the founder of the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses; co-founder of Weatherglass Books; and writer of three published novels.
Asma Mani
Lead Safeguarding Trustee
Asma is a child and adolescent psychotherapist. She started her career as an English teacher in an inner London comprehensive and then spent 8 years as a civil servant in central government. She is an avid reader and believes in the power of books to support the mental health of individuals and communities.
Annabelle Williams
Annabelle works for Age UK Camden. She is passionate about books, whether that is reading to her children, sharing recommendations with friends or overseeing Age Uk Camden‘s book club for older people.
Pete MacIntyre
Pete is a lawyer in the technology sector. He has a keen interest in books, community and the outdoors.
Claire Davies
Treasurer
Claire is a Chartered Management Accountant, and the business manager for a London State primary school, where she sees the positive impact of books on a daily basis. She is also a keen reader.
Bookbanks champions
Bookbanks is supported and informed by a community of our service users. These champions meet regularly in trustee-led focus groups to feed back on the charity’s performance. They tell us what we are doing right, how we can improve and develop, and what the people who use our services need from us. Their input is vitally important in shaping the decisions made and direction set by our Board.