A MOTHER has sparked a trend hiding books across the borough as part of a nationwide campaign to encourage children to read.

Karin Geels, 44, of Cudworth, read-up on growing trend Hide a book – a scheme introduced in Cambridgeshire by Dave Judge.

He sealed children’s story books in plastic wallets and hid them across the town, and then set up a Facebook page encouraging children and their parents to go and search for them, read them, and re-hide as well as hiding their own unwanted books.

Karin decided to set up the scheme in Barnsley last Sunday and hid books across Cudworth park.

She then set up a Facebook page and more than 1,000 people have signed up and got involved, with hundreds of parents hiding books at parks across the borough with their children, and sharing photos with books they have found.

She said: “Since we’ve launched we’ve had such a fantastic response. I’ve always enjoyed reading and I love reading with my children, This scheme is exciting because it encourages children to get out to look for a book, and once they have found a book they can read it and then rehide it for someone else to find.”

Last Saturday, Karin along with Mark Gosling from the Rock Academy, a group which paints and hides rocks across parks in Barnsley, came together to hide books and rocks across Locke Park.

Karin said: “It was a lovely morning and it was nice to come together with the rock academy.

“When children find something it is always a delight to see the immediate smile on their face and they get excited to have the responsibility of re-hiding what they have found. It’s a fantastic activity for them to get involved in and keeps them active outside. It’s makes this whole scheme worth it.

“Wherever I go I’ll be hiding books. I’ve been to Rabbit Ings and Cudworth Park in addition to Locke Park. I look forward to sharing books with the children of Barnsley.”