A POPULAR bookshop is celebrating being shortlisted for a prestigious award.

Forum Books, in Corbridge, has been crowned Independent Bookshop of the North and will now go on to compete against eight other retailers for the national Independent Bookshop of the Year 2020.

The bookshop, which has reached the finals on three separate occasions, was pitted against 49 other retailers, seven of which were based in the north region. The team at Forum Books is due to travel to London in June for an awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor Hotel.

James Routledge, who was named independent bookseller of the year in 2018, by publishing house Vintage, said: “The ceremony is like the Baftas, but for books. It is a massive gathering.

“It is so nice to be acknowledged in a really strong group of short-listers, including some of our favourite book stores, Lighthouse in Edinburgh and Book-ish in Wales.

“The book community is really small and it is even smaller for independent booksellers, so we know everyone and have become good friends, especially in this difficult climate.”

The bookshop thanked its customers on social media for their continued support and encouraged local shopping.