A space for Southampton’s stories

Clare Diaper

When asked, I have always said my roots are in Southampton. I grew up in the outskirts of Totton in a rural location but the city centre was somewhere we came for shopping and to visit relatives. It was only in later life that I found out my surname originates from Southampton too! The name Diaper can be traced back to the 1600s, so I do feel a strong connection to the city and the culture here. 

My relationship with October Books first began when I wrote my own book compiling walks from railway stations in collaboration with the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership. The book was on sale at the shop and became its best seller for Christmas 2015. I heard that they were looking for a new team of people to take the helm after the shop’s then manager looked to retire. I started in July 2016 with three other new team members. Since then, I have been the strategic lead for October Books.

The shop has always been a product of teamwork and collaboration. I’ve worked with funding bodies and other organisations nationally to champion the community business model that we use and to showcase the placemaking capacity of independent bookshops like ours.

For the shop to survive, we knew it needed a reinvention so we sought help from the local community to purchase the old NatWest bank building in Portswood. Southampton’s people are part owners of the business. We moved to these new premises in October 2018, again with the help of the community. 200 people formed a human chain to help us move from the old premises to new, passing books from hand to hand – a team effort that made international news! It was an amazing show of community spirit and a great way to celebrate the move. It’s a memory which always makes me smile.

The role also means I get to work with other local organisations, deepening our connection to the city we serve. Since it first opened in 1977, October Books has supported the local groups, creative projects and organisations that keep Southampton’s culture alive. We played a key role in Southampton’s multi-cultural book fair back in the 1980s, worked closely with the University of Southampton in the 1990s and 2000s, have supported Black History month and Southampton Pride, organised many local author events and hosted vegan community café Veg Out for over five years.

We’ve done lots of work over recent years with our local schools, distributing free books to pupils on World Book Day each year. We have worked with Mount Pleasant Junior School, providing discounted books for their new library and course books. We also host children’s books events, storytelling and school visits. In partnership with the University of Southampton, we support the Reading Buddies Project which pairs up student reading mentors with pupils.

Our volunteering scheme, internships and work placements also provide a nurturing space for people to learn about the publishing industry and build practical skills such as customer service and building maintenance. We couldn’t do what we do without our dedicated and resourceful team of volunteers. I would love to see where all those who have been involved in the bookshop are now. I’m sure a map of the world would be covered in October Books’ links of connection. 

I hope our ethos inspires the business and social enterprise community in the city too. Our model is very different from the profit based model that is prevalent in society today. It goes to show how if communities come together and act collectively, we can achieve great things. 

October Books has impacted Southampton’s community in many different ways. One of the things I love about working here is hearing people in the shop bumping into an old friend or colleague. We’ve created such a welcoming space where heartwarming and inspiring stories are shared. I hope that we can continue to provide inspiration and hope to our communities to imagine the future we want in our high streets and neighbourhoods. These are difficult times and we want to be a place for people to come together, share stories and find our common threads.