The UK’s newest independent bookseller is gearing up to open his doors – after winning a bookshop in a raffle.

The unusual prize was dreamed up by Paul Morris, who opened Bookends in Cardigan four years ago. The shop is profitable and would have made an estimated £30,000 in a sale, but Morris said he wanted to give someone else the chance to realise their dream of running a bookshop. Over the last three months, anyone who spent more than £20 was eligible to be entered into a raffle to win it.

The name of the winner, Ceisjan Van Heerden, who is originally from the Netherlands, was drawn out of a hat containing 59 others at a ceremony last week, as Abba’s The Winner Takes It All played to a crowd.

Morris, who worked in the book industry for years before he opened his own shop, told the Guardian that he had chosen to take early retirement at 52 after his arthritis worsened.

“I thought about selling it, but I thought instead, let’s give someone an opportunity in life which they might not otherwise have. The principle was to make sure the shop continues in good hands,” he said. “Ceisjan is a regular customer and I’m really pleased it was him – he wants to run it. You can make a very good living from it – far too many bookshops have disappeared over the years.”

Van Heerden wasn’t at the prize draw, said Morris. “So I left him a message. When he phoned back, he said he’d had to sit down and have a cup of coffee when he got my message.”

Van Heerden told the local paper that he was shocked when he heard he had won. “I love books and read a lot and just happened to be in the shop when a TV crew was making a film about Paul’s decision to raffle it off, and I bought a ticket,” said Van Heerden.

He officially takes over the shop on 5 November and said he is planning to run it with a friend from Iceland, who is now moving to west Wales. Although the pair have been friends online for nine years, they have yet to meet face to face. “It might sound strange, but we are sure we can make it work. It’s just an amazing opportunity,” he said.

Morris said that a number of his customers had said that they had always fancied running a bookshop. He got into the business after stumbling across a retired bookseller selling around 18,000 books on eBay. “I thought it sounded fantastic. He’d moved the contents of his bookshop into his house and wanted everything to go to the same person. We did a deal, and a friend and I drove a lorry to Great Yarmouth to collect them all.”

If it wasn’t for his arthritis, said Morris, he would still be running Bookends. “I always wanted to have a bookshop, but I’ve had my stint, and now it’s time for someone else to take over,” he said.

Edited for classroom use from an article by Alison Flood in the Guardian 11 Sep 2018

Suggested lesson plan for students at pre-intermediate level.

Materials:
A recording of the passage.
A printed version of the text.

Step 1: Ask the students what they like to read. Do they read books these days or do they just read text on the Internet? Do they read novels? Do they read books about the environment or history? Encourage the students to share.

Step 2: Ask the students where they live (in the UK or where they live in their home country). Do they know where their nearest bookshop is? Do they often go into a bookshop? Do they like going into bookshops? What do they like best about going to a bookshop? Do they often buy books?

Step 3: Who would like to own a bookshop? Why? Why not? List their points on the board.

Step 4: Tell the students to work in groups of 3 or 4. Ask them to decide what skills someone needs to have to run a bookshop. (6 minutes)

Step 5: Get feedback from the students and list their points on the board. Ask whether they have those skills.

Step 6: Ask them to prioritise the list.

Step 7: Ask them what the word raffle means. Tell them that you are going to play a recording. Ask them to listen for at least two reasons why Mr Morris decided to raffle his bookshop. (his arthritis worsened; he wanted to give someone else the chance to realise their dream of running a bookshop; the principle was to make sure the shop continues in good hands)

Step 8: Listen again and say why Ceisjan will make a good owner of the bookshop. (Ceisjan is a regular customer and he wants to run it. He loves books and reads a lot.)

Step 9: Explain the meaning of these expressions

• bookseller is gearing up to open his doors
• got into the business after stumbling across a retired bookseller
• I’ve had my stint

Step 10: Hand out the passage with some verbs in brackets. Ask the students work individually and put them into the correct form. When they have finished, tell them to get into pairs and compare their work.

The UK’s newest independent bookseller is gearing up to open his doors – after winning a bookshop in a raffle.

The unusual prize was dreamed up by Paul Morris, who (open) ………………. Bookends in Cardigan four years ago. The shop is profitable and would have made an estimated £30,000 in a sale, but Morris said he wanted to give someone else the chance to realise their dream of running a bookshop. Over the last three months, anyone who (spend) ………………. more than £20 was eligible to be entered into a raffle to win it.

The name of the winner, Ceisjan Van Heerden, who is originally from the Netherlands, was drawn out of a hat containing 59 others at a ceremony last week, as Abba’s The Winner Takes It All played to a crowd.

Morris, who (work) ………………. in the book industry for years before he opened his own shop, told the Guardian that he (choose) ………………. to take early retirement at 52 after his arthritis worsened.

“I thought about selling it, but I (think) ………………. instead, let’s give someone an opportunity in life which they might not otherwise have. The principle was to make sure the shop continues in good hands,” he said. “Ceisjan is a regular customer and I’m really pleased it was him – he wants to run it. You can make a very good living from it – far too many bookshops have disappeared over the years.”

Van Heerden wasn’t at the prize draw, said Morris. “So I (leave) ………………. him a message. When he phoned back, he said he (had) ………………. to sit down and have a cup of coffee when he got my message!”

Van Heerden told the local paper that he was shocked when he heard he (win) ………………. . “I love books and read a lot and just happened to be in the shop when a TV crew was making a film about Paul’s decision to raffle it off, and I bought a ticket,” said Van Heerden.

He officially takes over the shop on 5 November and said he is planning to run it with a friend from Iceland, who is now moving to west Wales. Although the pair have been friends online for nine years, they have yet to meet face to face. “It might sound strange, but we are sure we can make it work. It’s just an amazing opportunity,” he said.

Morris said that a number of his customers (say) ………………. that they always (fancy) ………………. running a bookshop. He got into the business after stumbling across a retired bookseller selling around 18,000 books on eBay. “I (think) ………………. it sounded fantastic. He (move) ………………. the contents of his bookshop into his house and (want) ………………. everything to go to the same person. We (do) ………………. a deal, and a friend and I (drive) ………………. a lorry to Great Yarmouth to collect them all.”

If it wasn’t for his arthritis, said Morris, he would still be running Bookends. “I always (want) ………………. to have a bookshop, but I’ve had my stint, and now it’s time for someone else to take over,” he said.

Step 11: Go through the passage with the class and get feedback from the class on the correct verb forms. Make sure the rule about the main use of the Past Perfect is clear. (When we refer to two events in the past, and we want to make crystal clear the order of events, then we use the Past Perfect for the first event and the Past Simple for the second event. We generally only use the Past Perfect where the order of events is not be clear, or we want to stress the order of events.)

Step 12: Punctuate these sentences:

• I was very happy to win this is going to change my life said Ceisjan (“I was very happy to win. This is going to change my life!” said Ceisjan.)
• this is a great opportunity I hope that I will run the bookshop successfully he said (“This is a great opportunity! I hope that I will run the bookshop successfully,” he said.)
• Morris said it is great that someone else will get the chance to own a bookshop I have loved every minute of my time here (Morris said, “It is great that someone else will get the chance to own a bookshop. I have loved every minute of my time here.”)
• What an opportunity said Ceisjan I look forward to starting work who wouldn’t (“What an opportunity!” said Ceisjan. “I look forward to starting work. Who wouldn’t?”)

Note the importance of avoiding run-on sentences.

Step 13: Imagine that you are Ceisjan Van Heerden. Write a passage of about 200 words expressing your delight at what has happened and what you plan to do. Include some direct speech.