AN OXFORDSHIRE bookseller was named national 'bookshop hero' for her efforts during lockdown.

Lyndsey Smith, who works at Mostly Books in Abingdon, was nominated for the award after she cycled 720km during the height of the first Covid-19 wave, delivering books to vulnerable and shielding customers daily.

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Recording her deliveries on exercise app Strava, from March to June, the seller delivered books around Abingdon and neighbouring villages including Sunningwell, Steventon, Drayton and Sutton Courtenay.

She is one of 29 people to be named in the competition by the Bookseller’s Association, sponsored by HarperCollins.

The shop was able to continue trading online, and to support the business, Ms Smith volunteered to deliver books on her bike to customers living in a five-mile radius.

She commented: "At that time, I could not work in the shop because of social distancing measures, so instead I decided to use the one hour of permitted daily exercise to deliver book orders."