Frequently Asked Questions

All about BookHeath

What is BookHeath?

BookHeath is a book festival for Blackheath and the surrounding areas of Lewisham and Greenwich. It came about because the Friends of Age Exchange were looking for new ways to raise money for local charity Age Exchange. Committee member Averil Leimon saw that Blackheath has several bookshops, libraries and reading spots - not to mention the monthly Age Exchange Book Sale - yet did not have a book festival to call its own. BookHeath was born!

Who is BookHeath for?

Our aim is spread the joy of books, so we intend for BookHeath to be accessible, welcoming and with a little of something for everyone. Because this is our first year, BookHeath will have a small number of events. Some for adult readers. Some for writers. Some for children.

Why is BookHeath a Limited Company?

In order to set up the book festival, Averil met with various venue managers as well as authors, speakers, local businesses and our principal partners - Leah Lodge, Rectory Court and Grant Saw LLB. It quickly became clear that Bookheath would be a serious undertaking. Averil sought advice and set up Bookheath Limited with accountability and transparency in mind.

Why are you using Universe for ticketing?

Operating a book festival is a first for the Friends of Age Exchange! We chose Universe for ticket sales and emails for three main reasons. Firstly, it allows people to pay with a wide variety of bank and credit cards. Secondly, it simplifies the ticketing process so we can focus on the events themselves. Thirdly, it charges a fixed percentage per ticket, rather than a monthly fee, so seemed a natural fit for an annual book festival.

How do you respect my personal data?

Our guiding principle is to only collect personal data where necessary and do everything we reasonably can to keep that data safe. Please read the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions for more information.

We use Universe to sell and process tickets to our events, which includes ticket sales made via bookheath.co.uk. To do this, Universe collects personally identifiable information and payment information. Please read the Universe privacy policy for their details.

BookHeath Limited does not receive your payment information when you buy a ticket from Universe. We do see your email address so we can contact you about your order. We also see the names you have put on your tickets and the time and date you bought your tickets. This information is stored by Universe.

We use PayPal to take payments for book sales made via the Bookshop on bookheath.co.uk. To do this, PayPal collects personally identifiable information and payment information. Please read the PayPal privacy policy for their details.

In order to send your purchased books we need to collect name and address details, and a phone number in case we need to contact you. This information is collected and kept within Hostinger, the system which hosts the BookHeath website.

BookHeath Limited does not receive your payment information when you purchase a book using PayPal. We do see your email address so we can contact you about your order. We also see your name and the time and date you made your purchase.

How does the Bookshop work?

We have been overwhelmed by the response to our Children's Writing Competition and want to make the published book available beyond the local area, so that relatives in mainland UK may also get a copy.

Add the number of books you wish to send into the Bag, then choose 'UK' and '2nd Class Post' at Checkout for it to be posted. If you wish to pay online then collect in person from Blackheath Village, choose 'Collect from Weymss Road, Blackheath'.

How did you choose the authors, genres and events?

From the beginning, Averil spoke with dozens of writers and publishers. Wherever possible she worked on local recommendations, authors known to people in or around Blackheath. Crime and romance are very popular for adults so it seemed the obvious place to start. A local author's books for children led to the planned workshops. We also wanted to encourage people to start writing for themselves - hence our children's competition and our BookHeath Bites recipe book which gives the opportunity for sharing brief memories.

Why were ticket sales delayed?

Crushingly, on 29 August, the venue we had been in discussions to use informed us that hosting the set of BookHeath events would not be possible. Averil immediately reached out to other venues across Blackheath and has been in discussions with them about hosting our planned events. This had a knock on effect launching the full BookHeath website (we intended to have tickets on sale at launch) and, as you can imagine, making details and tickets available. We wholeheartedly apologise to the writers, who have prepared and scheduled their sessions, to their expectant audiences and to all who have contributed time, focus and commitment to BookHeath for this delay.

How can I get involved?

We would love to build a team of enthusiastic people to work with us this year and in the future - with skills from creative thinking, social media skills, project management through to hosting events but above all delight in sharing books with others. Please contact averil@bookheath.co.uk to find out more.