A MUCH-loved community bookshop has shut its doors for the final time after landlords asked staff to hand the keys back.

Planet Droitwich, which was based in the St Andrew’s Shopping Centre, Droitwich, had operated from the unit for about three years.

Run by the Global Educational Trust, the shop collected and handed out books to customers for free – and any donations were poured back into the charity.

The landlords rented the space to the charity for a ‘concessionary deal’ on the understanding it could be handed back at any time.

But its closure at the end of December has been met with sadness by the loyal volunteers and customers who regularly visited to browse the huge selection of books on offer.

Dorothy Humphries, aged 82, lead volunteer, said: “The people of Droitwich are absolutely beside themselves. We can’t afford to lose this lovely community bookshop.

“I’m gutted, not for me but for the people of Droitwich. We didn’t realise until people started coming in just how much we were thought of and that was reward enough for us.

“It was lovely, it was the reason I got up in the morning. It’s unique, you find another one where you can go in to a shop and put anything you like in for a book. People said they went out with a book feeling happy - you can’t do better than that in a day.”

She says she is hoping to re-open the shop in another premises.

All of the books have either been sent to other organisations or have gone into storage.

A spokesman for the Global Educational Trust said: “We are very grateful to the landlord for allowing us to use this space for such a long time but we are extremely saddened that this thriving shop will be no more.

“This shop has collected thousands of unwanted books and given them out for free, the shop has also provided a warm welcome and a socialising opportunity for many in the community.”

A spokesman for landlords Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund said: “We have taken the decision to market this particular property to other retail users which has necessitated us taking the site back.”