THE Sitting with Jane project captured the imagination of hundreds of residents during the summer.

With its success, a special souvenir book has been produced as a lasting memento of the BookBench trial which took over Basingstoke.

Between June 17 and August 30 the popular benches, which celebrated the life of local author Jane Austen, were dotted about the borough as well as various significant venues in the author’s life.

Once complete, 22 BookBench lots were sold for a total of £95,750 – and 75 per cent of the proceeds went to Ark Cancer Centre Charity, leaving a lasting legacy that will help and support cancer patients and their families as Ark is raising £5million towards a unique local NHS cancer treatment centre that will be built in the Basingstoke area.

Now, some of the organisations that were involved in the Sitting with Jane project have teamed up again to produce the Sitting with Jane book – and it will only cost a Jane Austen – better known as £10.

The team from The Typeface Group, who were a driving force behind the Sitting with Jane social media coverage, have designed and compiled the book, with the help and support of Destination Basingstoke and Ark Cancer Centre Charity.

Printed by Bramley-based Greenhouse Graphics, the souvenir book as been limited to a 500-print run, which has been sponsored by Festival Place – headline sponsor of Sitting with Jane.

Steven Connolly, chairman of Destination Basingstoke and centre director of Festival Place, said: “The Sitting with Jane book is a lovely memento of a special celebration of Jane Austen.

“Sitting with Jane brought together our community as part of a fantastic summer, attracting thousands of visitors, generating income for our local economy, making our community proud of its heritage, and delivering a great result for a local charity.”

The book was unveiled at the‘Girl Power BookBench in the Discovery Centre –which was bought at the auction after a successful crowdfunding campaign by the NorthHantsMums group.

The Sitting with Jane book is on sale for £10 cash only at the information desk, in Festival Place, or online at bookbench.org.