The pair are backing development charity Oxfam's current appeal for book donations for its charity stores, and have launched the appeal at the Hay festival, a non-profit, in Wales.

Charity shops across the UK are currently experiencing a boom in support from buyers and in many cases are struggling to maintain stock levels...

Oxfam has traditionally raised funds from book donations which it sells in its stores across the UK including specialist book shops as well as its general charity shops.

Oxfam has 148 specialist bookshops and sells books in nearly all of its 685 shops.

For the fourth year running, Oxfam is hosting a bookshop at the Hay arts and literary festival and calling out for books as part of its nationwide donation drive.

As well as endorsing the benefits of a good clear out of old books, Stephen Fry says donating is supporting Oxfam’s worthy causes...

"Books are a wonderful gift because you're giving something that is brim-full of ideas and stories while also supporting the valuable work that Oxfam is doing around the world," he says.

Oxfam's Director of Trading, Andrew Horton, adds: "If we reach our target of 500,000 additional books we could raise enough money to fund all of Oxfam's work in Rwanda for a year."

In July Oxfam is also running its Bookfest with book-related entertainment taking place in Oxfam shops across the UK.

Oxfam began in Oxford, UK as a small charity in 1942 and now operates in 60 countries as one of the world's most respected international development orgs...

Oxfam's book drive is the latest book for charity campaign, and follows a major international charity project that was launched in April to promote reading for literacy and education purposes.

The World Book Night charity invites volunteers to gift books to others to celebrate the power of reading...

Patrons of the charity include Richard Branson, Nick Cave, Roddy Doyle, Carol Ann Duffy, Colin Firth, Damien Hirst, Andrew Motion, Ali Smith, Tom Stoppard, Tilda Swinton and others.

In the UK, 20,000 volunteers gave away 24 copies each of a favourite book as part of the project to encourage more people to fall in love with reading.

In addition World Book Night will be giving a further 620,000 books away this year at prisons, care homes, hospitals, libraries, etc, through its various partner charities...