Held twice a year, the event is a major fundraiser for the charity which assists the most vulnerable people in the community.

Alex Ferguson, executive director of Lifeline Central West, said the Bathurst community had turned out in force to support the service.

“We’ve been hugely supported by the Bathurst community again. Saturday was completely crazy, which is really, the way we like it,” he said.

Mr Ferguson said it was very evident Lifeline is well supported by Bathurst.

“They really get what we do, we’ve been doing this [fair] for seven years, it’s a biannual event and people really look forward to it.”

He said one of the reasons why the book fair was so popular was because it’s increased in quality and range but prices have remained the same.

Mr Ferguson said one of the most humbling experiences of being part of  the event were the donations being made as people came through the front door.

“I think it’s a  good measure of the way the community views the work Lifeline does,” he said.

“We have a tin where people can make a gold coin donation but so often people would put in a $5 or $10 note their generosity is humbling,” he said.

When the book fair opened its doors on Saturday morning there were about 22,00 books up for sale.

By late Sunday an estimated 12,000 books had sold, raising somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000 for the charity.

The money will assist Lifeline Central West continue its work in the community helping people in crisis.