About Us
Don’t forget your cash and cheques for donations, raffles, and drinks!
Donations collected will support Pelican Post, an umbrella organisation supporting African charities like Ka Tutandike, the Sabre Trust, the Mvumischool Trust and Ethiopia Link. “Developing a future of possibilities – one book at a time.”
Kim Dunsmore, the organiser, was born and raised in Dunfermline, Fife and has lived in London since 2004. Educated at Edinburgh University and Haverford College, PA, with an MA in American Studies, Kim is currently working as a Recruitment Consultant with Profile, an independent firm specialising in management recruitment for the luxury hospitality sector.
Having harboured a passion for books for as long as she can remember, Kim was inspired to launch The Big Book Swap after participating in Landmark Education’s Self Expression and Leadership Programme in 2009 and is delighted to be working in conjunction with Nick Johnson of the Pelican Post and a fantastic team of dedicated volunteers on this project. Kim’s favourite book is Anne of Green Gables.
“It’s all about people sharing their sources of inspiration and bringing people from all walks of life together in their love of reading. I’m hoping it will also encourage people to go for books they would never normally read based on someone else’s comments–and maybe broaden their horizons a little! Who knows, we might find a businessman opting to read Marian Keyes, or a beauty therapist tackling Andrew Flintoff’s autobiography.” -Kim Dunsmore, Big Book Swap Organiser.
Kim Thomond, the co-organiser, was born and raised in Surrey and has lived in Montpellier, Brisbane and London over the past 6 years. Kim has a BSc (hons) in French and Business from Aston University and an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics. She currently works for an asset management firm and is a board member of the D2Development Fund, a fund that aims to invest in innovative development initiatives.
Kim loves books and is passionate about development and poverty reduction. She was inspired by the idea of combining the two with The Big Book Swap. Kim has many favourite books, but particularly loves Pride and Prejudice and Shantaram.
