Since March 2019, Bert's Books has been operating online, selling books across the UK all through various lockdowns.

During that time, I've been working to find a physical unit within Swindon for a real-life bookshop.

That dream has come true and Bert's Books WILL be opening in Swindon's Old Town in Spring 2022 - bringing all the benefits of an independent bookshop to the people of Swindon.

With a bigger stockholding and more staff, this will improve service on bertsbooks.co.uk and with a full schedule of events, the number of signed books available both in-store and online will increase, so everybody wins.

I'm putting all of my savings into opening the shop which is a huge risk, but I really believe that I can make it work - but I'm not too shy to ask for help.

I've set a target of £12,000 as this will be enough to pay my wages for the first year and mean I can concentrate on paying off my set-up loans and paying my staff.

But anything that we raise will help ensure that Bert's Books is a success and can continue to provide brilliant books and customer service to people in Swindon... and beyond!