PEOPLE in Oxfordshire are asked to buy books to help Syrian refugees.

Waterstones bookshops will give every penny from a selection of books in a bid to raise £1m for Oxford charity Oxfam’s Syria Appeal.

Oxford’s Philip Pullman is among famous authors backing the ‘Buy Books for Syria’ appeal.

Publishers of best selling authors including Caitlin Moran, Lee Child, David Nicholls, Hilary Mantel, Neil Gaiman, David Walliams, Victoria Hislop and Salman Rushdie have also donated.

Mr Pullman, who wrote the acclaimed Northern Lights trilogy of children’s books, said: “The cause is so obviously good that anything we can do is worth doing.”

Oxford’s Waterstones manager Nicky James said: “We’ve all been moved by the refugee crisis and we’re proud that our bookshop has come together with the Oxfam Syria Appeal to help alleviate the suffering.”

Mark Goldring, Oxfam’s CEO, said the money would deliver clean water to 150,000 people in Syria and support thousands in Jordan.