SANTA Bookshop
Hermanus
Bumper December sales a record for SANTA Bookshop
During December 2021 the SANTA Bookshop in Aberdeen Street doubled its previous record for monthly sales. This was the result of a bumper holiday season in Hermanus. The previous year the shop experienced a bleak time over the Christmas period with tourism, as a result of Covid travel and other restrictions at an all-time low.
Last year’s bumper sales could not have been achieved without the dedicated work of volunteers who man the shop. Nor would it have been possible without the generous donations of quality books on a vast variety of topics by the people of Hermanus to the shop. The sale of books is the only consistent source of income, apart from donations and bequests, of SANTA Hermanus.
This organisation supports the fight against tuberculosis (TB), a highly infectious disease that is rife in the Western Cape, the Overstrand being no exception. SANTA’s main contribution is paying the salaries of eight clinic staff members. This became an ever increasing need since health budgets have been cut nationally.
The Overstrand is the only sub-district in the Western Cape supported by an outside party. Thanks to SANTA’s involvement the Overstrand can still fight TB better than any other sub-district.
TB is an airborne disease. When a TB infected person who is not on treatment, coughs, talks, sneezes or sings, he or she spreads live bacteria into the air. Anybody can inhale it and either develop latent TB or full-blown, active TB, after months — or even as as long as 20 to 30 years later.
It is estimated that 80% of the Western Cape inhabitants carry the TB bacteria. It is, however, important to remember that a person who is on treatment is no longer infectious. A vital part of SANTA’s work is to contact, trace and test people for TB, thus helping to contain the disease from spiralling out of control, inevitably resulting in deaths across all sectors of the population.
Although the SANTA Bookshop is still a treasure trove of wonderful books, the bumper December sales did deplete some of the stock. The SANTA committee, under leadership of Chairman Sue Holmes, would like to thank everyone who has been donating books, while encouraging Hermanus residents to keep the SANTA Bookshop in mind when downsizing or merely spring cleaning. Books may be dropped off at the shop.
Making a change through books
To help raise funds, and to give SANTA an identity in Hermanus, the organisation runs a second-hand bookshop, manned by volunteers. The shop, in a quaint building reminiscent of old Hermanus fishing cottages, in Aberdeen Street is attracting book lovers, and more and more people are donating large quantities of — sometimes valuable — books to help this worthy cause. Thank you very much for your support.