Rishi Sunak got to grips with a mountain of books to help boost a North Yorkshire charity’s fundraising campaign.

The MP for Richmond and Northallerton became chief box-packer for Wendy’s Wish, which sells hundreds of books salvaged from house clearances to support research into eye cancer.

Mr Sunak dropped into Archers Removals of Northallerton to thank them for retrieving and storing the books and meet Bill and Jill Harker, whose daughter Wendy died of ocular melanoma – a rare and currently incurable cancer – in 2017.

Wendy’s Wish was set up in her memory and her parents aim to provide comfort and support for patients who have any form of cancer, as well as raise thousands for research into ocular melanoma.

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“This is a cause that really touches the hearts of our community and Bill and Jill can be very proud of their efforts in funding ways to tackle this illness,” said Mr Sunak.

“They work tirelessly to bring extra help and enjoyment to families living with the disease and make a huge difference to people’s lives.

“I also have to congratulate Archers of Northallerton in rescuing so many books that would otherwise go to pulp.”

Mrs Harker said: “Rishi has supported us from the very start and knows the value of establishing a lasting memorial to Wendy. We’re raising funds for one of the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Research Group’s research programmes designed to help combat the disease.

“We know Wendy would have wanted us to help people who suffer from the same condition and the charity helps us to keep her memory alive.”

Archers operations manager Geoff Archer added: “We’re delighted to play a small part in helping such a great charity. We collect hundreds of books from house clearances every year so this is a great way to get them into the hands of people who will value them.”

Mr Sunak also congratulated Archers on being named as Commercial Mover of the Year, in recognition of its outstanding service to customers, in last year’s industry awards. It was the second time the company had picked up the accolade following a similar success in 2022.

  • To support Wendy’s Wish, visit their website: www.wendyswish.co.uk.