Cogito Books in Hexham, Northumberland (North and Midlands winner) is thriving despite competition from Waterstone's, which (as Ottakar's) arrived in town shortly after Cogito opened in 2001. In common with the other booksellers on the shortlist, owners Alan Grint and his daughter Claire are dynamic members of their community: they sponsor their local choir, hold charity evenings, support the Hexham Book Festival, and run a school books service that reaches as far as Newcastle. Their events have featured, among others, Sarah Dunant, Anne Fine, Salley Vickers, Sophie Hannah, Martin Bell, and Jonny Wilkinson.

The shop holds 11,000 titles in 800 square feet. The children's section is at the front. The Grints and their colleagues are "knowledgeable and passionate" about books, and offer free deliveries in and around Hexham, "often for the elderly and housebound". They add: "We do some of our housebound customers' Christmas book shopping for them, and we wrap presents on request, free of charge at Christmas." Cogito has a publishing imprint, Ergo Press, specialising in local titles. It was Retailer of the Year 2008 in Northumberland. (Photo: Claire and Alan Grint receive their award from Sophie Hannah, right.)