Popular author to support Chorley Breast Care Unit

Rob, who lives in Buckshaw Village, has already raised just shy of £1,500 for the unit at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital through his other passion of music.

Playing bass guitar, he joined eldest son and professional musician Tommy Jones (33) on stage at Standish Social Club, the venue for a charity concert last month (April) in support of the unit headlined by Tommy’s band Quaintest Show on Earth. Quaintest, as the band is known by its fans, has played at major venues and festivals throughout the country and internationally, as far away as in Japan.

Rob, who taught history and art and design to high school students and undergraduates before becoming a manager in alternative education, working with children unable to attend mainstream school, is now a full-time writer.

More than 8,000 copies of his six-book “The Micklegate Series” have sold, earning him a mix of four and five star reviews. The books, which are set in 16th Century York, feature real historical figures mixing with fictional characters.

They combine the mystery and intrigue of detective novels with historical fact as well the drama and humour that comes from quirky, flawed characters and their relationships.

Rob is also now the co-president of the Association of Self-Published Authors and advises other new writers on getting their work read. He said: “My love for history, music and writing has been there most of my life.

“These are things I can use to support Chorley Breast Care Unit, where my wife Jo has been treated for breast cancer. Tommy and Quaintest Show on Earth have staged earlier charity concerts, one of which was for his and his younger brother James’s late mum, who suffered a form of systemic sclerosis.”

All books sold viawww.micklegateseries.net will raise funds for the unit. Charity team fundraiser Lucy Clark said: “We are very grateful to Rob for offering to raise funds for us through the concert and his books. In Amazon’s Kindle Store Top 100, Rob has ranked 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th in the “Teen & Young Adult History” e-books category. He obviously has a lot of existing fans and we hope in helping us he will find some new ones!”

Lucy and the charity team work to fund ground-breaking projects, which greatly enhance the experience of patients and their families undergoing treatment at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital and also at the Royal Preston Hospital and other facilities managed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

They also support local research plus additional training and staff welfare projects so that the trust’s staff teams are able to provide the highest levels of treatment and care. To find out more, become involved or make a donation, go to www.lthcharity.org.uk