Liz Barrow was the guest speaker at the Inner Wheel Club of Heanor and shared her inspiring journey with members.
Liz has enjoyed reading for as long as she can remember. In 1986, she began a Saturday job in a bookshop, which started her career in the book trade. By 1988, she moved to Hudsons Bookshop in Birmingham where she worked with academic books. During this time, she supplied books to schools and ran bookstalls at universities and conferences.
In 1994, Liz changed direction and went to work in a bank. Eventually, she moved to Heanor where she settled and raised her family.
In 2019, Liz returned to her passion for books by starting “Bizy Lizy Books” on Heanor Market. She began with just a £60 box of end-of-line books. It proved to be a great challenge and success, and she was later appointed Market Manager.
In 2024, Liz gave up the market stall and opened a permanent bookshop, converting a disused bank building into a bookshop in Heanor.
Liz also highlighted some concerning literacy statistics. One in four children on free school meals has never owned a book. Eighteen percent of adults have poor literacy and one in ten adults struggle to read. In addition, twenty-four percent of young adults aged 16–24 say they never read.
However, reading for just ten minutes a day can help reduce stress and improve wellbeing.
At the end of the talk, President Kathleen thanked Liz for her presentation and wished her every success with her bookshop. She commented that Heanor is very fortunate to have such an inspirational member of the community.
Sue Mukherjee Club Correspondent
