Ipswich's Dial Lane Books shortlisted in East of England category for 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award

An independent bookshop in Suffolk could be named the best in the East of England after being shortlisted for a regional award.

Dial Lane Books in Ipswich, which only opened in March 2020 just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning, has made the shortlist in the East of England regional category of the 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award.

It is one of just five nominees that will be competing for the regional title in the British Book Awards, before vying for the overall prize, which will be announced at a ceremony on Monday, May 23.

A spokesman said: "The Independent Bookshop of the Year Award celebrates those stores that have continued to support local communities with magnificent books, which have provided enjoyment, distraction and succour for the nation’s readers during these turbulent times.

"The past two years have seen independent bookshops up and down the UK and the island of Ireland completely transform their operational models in order to get books into the hands of readers.

"This has ranged from bicycle deliveries to local customers, to booksellers rapidly building new e-commerce platforms, while also creating new channels for interactive video content to replace in-person events.

Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller’s managing editor, said: “The received wisdom in the book trade when the pandemic first hit was that independent booksellers might be the most vulnerable.

"They have proved with the thread of innovation running through, no matter if they are one of the UK’s most venerable indies or one of its newest.”

Dial Lane Books and its owner Andrew Marsh will find out if it has won the regional award on Wednesday, March 16, before the overall winner is unveiled at a ceremony in London in May.