Over 250,000 books have been delivered to every corner of the UK and Ireland by parcel carrier Yodel, to help ignite the nation’s love for reading as part of World Book Night, (Thursday 23 April). 

Yodel was chosen as the official delivery partner of World Book Night for the third consecutive year by national charity, The Reading Agency, which runs the annual celebration. World Book Night aims to inspire those who don’t regularly read to pick up a book. Since 2011, it has given books away to over 2.25 million people, supported by an extraordinary group of 56,000 volunteers.

This year, Yodel has distributed a quarter of a million copies of 20 specially printed World Book Night titles, including Mary Gibson’s Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts, The Moaning of Life by Karl Pilkington, Prime Suspect by Lynda La Plante and Roddy Doyle’s Dead Man Talking. Volunteers have collected the books from their local library or bookshop to hand out on 23 April. Yodel has also delivered books to a record number of 2,700 institutions and organisations including prisons, homeless hostels, hospitals, learning support centres, social housing projects, prisons and young offender institutions, schools and charities - all eager to change someone’s life by the gift of a book in this mass celebration of reading.

Yesterday, World Book Night author Mary Gibson was on hand at John Harvard Library in Bermondsey, London, to help Yodel drive Paul Tracey deliver copies of her bestselling novel, Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts to local volunteers, Lorna Walkden, Eleanor Salter (and her baby, Martha) and Selina Sulfraz (pictured).

In addition to World Book Night’s publications, the carrier also delivers around 3.8 million parcels of books each year, direct into retail chains, independent book shops and to consumers across the UK. 

Dick Stead, executive chairman at Yodel, comments: 'We’re delighted to be helping set the nation on their reading journey as delivery partner for World Book Night. It’s such a great initiative, and we’re proud to be helping people rediscover a love of reading.'

World Book Night’s flagship event, a celebration of reading and the written word, will be taking place at the Shaw Theatre in London with acclaimed novelist Irvine Welsh, World Book Night 2015 authors Lynda La Plante, David Almond, Sarah Winman, Elizabeth Fremantle and Annabel Pitcher alongside rapper and poet Akala Authors.

For more information on World Book Night visit worldbooknight.org.