A North East university graduate and bestselling author has raised more than £10,000 for charity through sales of her books.
Glenda Young, who graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2001, writes family sagas set in the North East and crime novels based in Scarborough.
Published by Headline, her books are sold worldwide, and her 'cosy crime' series was shortlisted for Best New Crime Series in a national award.
Since January 2024, all 24 hotels of the Alfa Leisureplex Group have sold Ms Young's books.
From each sale, £1.50 is donated to Alfa's chosen charity, Re-engage, which supports older people by reducing loneliness.
More than 7,000 copies have been sold so far, raising over £10,000.
Ms Young, who studied journalism at the university, said: "I’m very proud to know that my books are being enjoyed by Alfa’s customers all over the country.
"The feedback from readers has been fantastic.
"People come back from their holidays with a new book in hand and tell me they couldn’t put it down – all while supporting such a wonderful cause."
Emma Russell of Alfa Leisureplex Group said: "It has been an honour to support Re-engage this year in their mission to end loneliness and we are delighted that we have been able to raise £100,000 in the last 12 months.
"It has also been a pleasure to work with Glenda, her books are a fantastic read and our guests have been so impressed they have been coming back for more and more.
"My personal favourite is the Murder at the Seaview series, which I highly recommend."
Jenny Willott, CEO of Re-engage, said: "We are truly grateful to Glenda and all the incredible staff at Alfa Leisureplex Group who have performed wonders to raise such an astonishing amount of money to help our older people.
"It’s great that people are getting a good read while making sure we can continue to run social groups and call befriending services for those who are lonely or isolated.
"Alfa has been inspirational in its efforts to support Re-engage and we hope the partnership will continue to flourish."
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Ms Young is also committed to other charitable causes.
In 2023, she sponsored a creative writing student at the University of Sunderland, thanks to the success of her books.
The university awarded the Glenda Young Prize for Creative Writing, which included a scholarship of £2,000 and expert guidance from Ms Young on how to break into the publishing industry.
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