Edinburgh's popular Christian Aid sale in George Street to go ahead on smaller scale from Saturday

A scaled down version of the popular annual Christian Aid sale at St Andrew's and St George's West Church in George Street will go ahead from Saturday.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

The three-day event will focus on jigsaws, toys, games and paperbacks, mainly crime fiction.

Crime writer and “tartan noir” superstar Val McDermid will be there on Saturday to help promote the sale.

Crime fiction will feature heavily among the paperbacks on saleCrime fiction will feature heavily among the paperbacks on sale
Crime fiction will feature heavily among the paperbacks on sale
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And Lord Provost Frank Ross will visit on the final day to celebrate the return of public life and community activities.

Last year's event had to be cancelled because of the Covid pandemic and this year's - which runs on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday - will be much smaller than usual, in compliance with current guidelines.

The sale, which is held during Christian Aid week, is one of the largest charity book sales in the world.

And over the past decade it has raised more than £1 million for Christian Aid.

A jigsaw of a famous JMW Turner painting is one of the highlightsA jigsaw of a famous JMW Turner painting is one of the highlights
A jigsaw of a famous JMW Turner painting is one of the highlights
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The church also holds a sale of pictures and Scottish books for Christian Aid in the autumn.

Long-serving sale convener Mary Davidson said: “I hope that once again people will come to the church in George Street to help to raise money for Christian Aid’s work wherever there is suffering, disaster or famine to rebuild shattered lives.”

Highlights among the wide range of jigsaw puzzles – many never opened – include “Pinks” by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and “The Fighting Temeraire” by JMW Turner.

Among the toys and games are "Buccaneer”, a vintage game by John Waddington, “Escape From Colditz”, and vintage Matchbox and Dublo vehicles, including a Matchbox No. 1 Steam Traction Engine.

Matchbox vehicles are among the toys in the saleMatchbox vehicles are among the toys in the sale
Matchbox vehicles are among the toys in the sale
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Devotees of crime fiction will find a wide selection, from the most recent popular authors to the era of vintage paperbacks in the livery of Penguin Books, Collins Crime Club, Pan and the British Library Crime Classic Series. Other genres are also included in the sale, with titles from Virago and Persephone, non-fiction, poetry, and books for children and young adults

Sally Foster-Fulton, head of Christian Aid in Scotland, said: “This Christian Aid Week we come together as one community against global poverty and injustice and we remember our global neighbours in countries like Kenya, for whom climate change means no water and a long walk in the heat, often with an empty stomach. Let’s stand alongside our sisters and brothers in the name of climate justice and vaccine justice.

“We are delighted the Sale at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church on George Street is back this year, for 3 days. I would encourage people in Edinburgh to pop along and buy a book or two.

“With your support we can work with our partners to find solutions to climate change, and support communities in Kenya to build earth and sand dams so they can harvest water closer to home. And alongside the People’s Vaccine Alliance and global faith leaders let’s pray for the equitable and swift distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The sale will be open 10am to 4pm on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.

The church's Undercroft Café will also be open each day of the Sale from 10:30am to 2pm.

Read More
The Distant Echo: Outlander star Lauren Lyle cast as lead in new ITV drama from ...

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.