In 1988, after many years of working and travelling the world with the CLC and WEC, Bob and Ada Hiley began to dream about creating a ministry which would provide Bibles and Christian literature to people who struggled to find access to such resources due to political instability and foreign currency restrictions. They began to gather donated books within the UK and ship them to established contacts who had made their need for books known. Together, the Hileys and their global friends began a modest operation out of the back of Bob’s car, which quickly grew into Book Aid Charitable Trust.
Since then, Book Aid has worked with global partners in 17 countries in Africa, Asia and Central America under a simple, yet effective vision: Gather books around the UK, sort and package them and ship them around the world. When the books reach their destination they are sold at affordable prices, and the profit earned through the book sales is used develop and enhance local literature initiatives and support Christian ministries. Scholarly books are shipped to equip Bible College libraries where they are used to train a new generation of ministers of the Gospel.
In order to sustain the costs of shipping and administration, Book Aid began selling books online as well as in their bookshops in Lower Sydenham, Barnard Castle, Ranskill and Templepatrick. Each shop is a sanctuary where people can enjoy a quiet corner and a cup of tea while exploring the many shelves of books.
Though the Hileys have now passed away, their love of Jesus, people and books left a lasting legacy in the work of Book Aid. A dynamic and gifted team formed around them and continues to diligently carry forward the work of sending books abroad and selling books at home in order to equip the church worldwide. To date, we have sent over 35 million books!
