Abingdon opticians get into character to launch book cover competition

Post on 18th March 2025

An Abingdon opticians team stepped into character to launch a charity competition for local children to design their own book cover to celebrate their community heroes.

The branch manager at Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care on Bury Street, Marieka Luker, took on the iconic role of Mary Poppins to officially launch the competition. Local youngsters are encouraged to get creative and design a book cover that tells the story of and showcases the power of local community heroes.

The £1 suggested donation for each competition entry will go to Scrivens’ chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Society. Four national winners will then be selected and rewarded with £100 book vouchers for their school library, a selection of books for their own collection and a notebook with the winning design on the front.

Marieka said: “The team and I are excited to launch our annual Design a Book Cover competition. Scrivens is supporting the Alzheimer’s Society for a tenth successive year, and this activity was a fun way to engage children and raise awareness of its work.

“This year’s competition is themed to encourage children to highlight and celebrate their community heroes, from teachers, librarians, swimming or football coaches to community group volunteers. We can’t wait to see what the entrants create!”

Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care is a family run business that was established over 85 years ago in 1938. It has 166 high-street stores in towns and cities across England and Wales, with 1,000 employees. For more information, visit www.scrivens.com.