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Library Letters: Pen-pal project that brought Perth and Kinross community together to continue

Deanna Shrieves, Shelagh Brown and Jen Bain.
Deanna Shrieves, Shelagh Brown and Jen Bain.

Perth and Kinross community members have been brought together by a pen-pal project.

Run by  Culture Perth and Kinross, the Library Letters initiative helped tackle social isolation during the pandemic by providing greater communication with the outside world.

Its impact has been so positive that organisers have now decided to continue with it, despite the nation now continuing to emerge from pandemic restrictions.

Organisers say it has benefitted some of the “most vulnerable and isolated” in society, while allowing the participating staff members to continue serving their communities.

Library Assistant Jen Bain, Deanna Shrieves and Shelagh Brown at AK Bell Library.

Library Letters paired Books on Wheels users with staff volunteers, some of whom were furloughed.

Letters were exchanged through the delivery and pick-up of book bags.

Wellbeing champion and senior library assistant for Culture Perth and Kinross, Elaine Millar said: “The feedback from our Books on Wheels customers and their staff volunteer pen-pals has been so positive that we are keeping the project going.

“It costs nothing but time and kindness.

“One lady in her late eighties, living alone, summed up the essence of it,” said Elaine.

“She said ‘Thank you so much for your friendly letter, bringing a bit of the outside world to me.

“’It is a strange situation we live in. I only see the men who deliver my shopping and my library books, thank heavens for them’.”