The Railway Town of Ramsbottom
Past and Present
by Nigel Jepson
This book tells the fascinating story of how Ramsbottom became a railway town in the 1840s after a group of local businessmen met in a pub in Bury to set up a company which became known as the East Lancashire Railway.
The various ups and downs in the process of building the line connecting Ramsbottom with Bury and Rawtenstall are described here using a variety of sources, including newspaper reports of an ‘alarming riot’ of railway workers at the Grant Arms.
The arrival of the railway brought immense benefits as far as local industry and the town’s growing population were concerned. However, the ‘Beeching Cuts’ of the 1960s had telling consequences for the existing East Lancashire rail network. The impact on Ramsbottom is gauged by exploring the views and reactions of local people as well as those in Summerseat where police had to be brought in to suppress protest action.
Although the demolition of Ramsbottom Station in the early 70s seemed a nail in the coffin for its railway town status, a brave campaign, spearheaded by the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS) was already underway aimed at re-opening the Bury-Ramsbottom line.
Against the odds, victory for this brave band of rail enthusiasts came about in 1987 and marked by the re-opening of a heritage line between Bury and Ramsbottom. The development was seen as ‘a heaven-sent opportunity’, galvanising the life of the town as a whole.
First-hand accounts are used to highlight the significant impact railways have had on people’s lives up to the present day.
Nigel Jepson lives in Ramsbottom and is a keen supporter and member of Ramsbottom Cricket Club.
He first came to the local area in the mid-1990s when taking up post as Headteacher at nearby Haslingden High School. As far as the broader community was concerned, it didn’t take long to pick up the vibes regarding the longstanding rivalry between Haslingden and Ramsbottom, much of it existing on a cricketing front as traditional close rivals in the Lancashire League.
Nigel’s last UK Head’s post was at Kearsley Academy in Bolton from 2010 to 2014. ‘Retired’, he has though carried out interim Headteacher work in Dubai during 2016 and has also conducted teacher training programmes in New Delhi in 2018.
Although having always been keen on team sports, he developed a passion for long distance running which started with the London Marathon in 1982, moving through other events to New York in 2001. More recently, over 2017 to 2019, prior to the Covid pandemic kicking in, he ran four more marathons in Dubai, Belfast, Manchester and Liverpool.
The Glasgow Wheelers
by Kenny Pryde
A Scottish cycling history
There are few British cycling clubs which can claim to have been in existence for over one hundred years without a break, but the Glasgow Wheelers is one of them. Much more than that however, Glasgow Wheelers have been involved in the pivotal moments of British cycle sport history.
From shaping the breakaway organisation that would turn into British Cycling and running Britain's first road race championship, riding the inaugural 1936 Olympic road race and providing the first British podium finisher in the Tour de France, the Glasgow Wheelers had a hand in it all – and much more besides. Intrigues, hardship and a little skullduggery are all part of this intriguing sporting and social history.
This story of the Glasgow Wheelers is also – inevitably - the story of British cycling itself.
Reviews of The Glasgow Wheelers...
Susan Egelstaff, The Herald, 20 August 2023
One such club that has played a significant part in Scottish sporting history is Glasgow Wheelers, a cycling club that’s produced more world-class athletes than many others could even dream of.
The history of the club has been documented in a fascinating and incredibly well-researched book called: 'The Glasgow Wheelers; A Scottish Cycling History.'
This book such a vital read. And it’s not only worth reading for cycling enthusiasts, but also for people like me who are interested in Scottish sport but are entirely ignorant of the history of a club (...)which has played such a massive part in the sporting success of this country over the past century.
Mia Fights Back
by Jessica Keane
A Mia the Kitten Adventure
Mia is back for another forest adventure. Snakes, poisonous plants and foxes are not the only threats the black kitten and her sidekick, Joker, face. The biggest danger lurks not far from home.
When disaster strikes and one of the animals is trapped without hope of escape, Mia knows she must try to save her friend. She will need all the knowledge she gained in kitten school.
Will Mia’s rescue plan work and will the animals get their revenge?
Two kind teenagers, a feisty goat, and a Scottish pony join the cats and forest animals in this exciting adventure story.
Mia Fights Back is Book 2 in the Mia the Kitten Adventure Series. This delightful animal adventure series about a feisty kitten and her forest friends is ideal for kids who love animals, nature and adventure. The illustrated chapter books are aimed at children above the age of six who are ready to step up from picture books to more complex stories with multiple characters. They work well as read together books for young families but can be read alone by competent young readers. I recommend reading the books in order although they work as standalone books as well.
Facts about nature and forest animals are woven into the plot that follows kitten Mia as she makes friends and keeps getting into trouble in the woods behind her house. All the books in the series focus on the value of friendship, kindness and the benefits of collaboration.
JK Keane spent her early years running wild in the forests of her native Germany.
When she was four years old, she decided that she was going to be an animal doctor.
Her dream came true and she worked for more than twenty years as a vet first in Germany and then in the UK.
Now retired, she lives with her husband in Shropshire. When she is not busy writing, you’ll probably find her exploring the local woods, looking for the best climbing trees or tracking the forest animals together with her grandchildren.
Reviews of Mia Fights Back...
'Amazon Review, October 2023 This book follows the adventures of Mia the mischievous kitten and all her friends. There is enough excitement to make the children turn the pages, enough informative content to help them learn about nature and enough escapades to have them giggling at the antics of the animals and the birds. My granddaughter loved the first Mia book. I know she will love this one too.
Amazon review: 5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story of animals loved by children
Amazon review, 18 October 2023 An exciting read with realistic descriptions of animal behaviour that will enthral & amuse young children. Good for bedtime story & an early reading book.
Poltwhistle's Final Defeat
Fictional sequel to Gilbert and Sullivan's Yeomen of the Guard.
by Malcolm Dunbar
Poltwhistle’s Final Defeat is the sequel to Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera ‘The Yeomen of the Guard’. Here Sir Clarence Poltwhistle is enraged at being thwarted over his attempt to claim his cousin Colonel Fairfax’s estate which falls to him if he should die without marrying. Poltwhistle makes one final attempt to thwart his cousin, but even this fails, leaving Poltwhistle desolate. In the end everything works out for everybody concerned, even the broken hearted jester Jack Point finds happiness and love once more.
Malcolm Dunbar was born and brought up in Edinburgh.
Malcolm wrote a number of autobiographical stories about his war experience and later life. He also wrote several biblical essays.
However, it was his love for Gilbert and Sullivan's opera “The Yeoman of the Guard” that urged him to write a sequel to the opera.
He enjoyed writing the story and hopes that you will enjoy reading it.
Birds and Their Gift of Music
An exploration of music inspired by birds and birdsong
by Michael Green
This authoritative account links the two worlds of birds and music to show the extraordinary influence that birds, through song and behaviour, have had on composers and musicians over the last millennium.
Over 1200 examples represent folk music, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and modern periods including, more recently, popular music and jazz.
Musicians are presented by country and the reader will find brief composer biographies, short descriptions of many of the individual pieces, which may be songs, instrumental, choral or orchestral, also references to the poetry which has inspired much of the music.
A series of invaluable appendices facilitates easy access to a wonderful world of discoveries.
The author lives in North Norfolk where he is well known for his many illustrated talks on a variety of musical subjects particularly concerning birds.
He has devoted many years to researching his subject in the certain belief that this is a book which needed to be written and which will appeal to a wide reading international public of bird, music and nature lovers.
With particular thanks to Mark Glaister for his delightful cover painting and additional watercolours represented in these pages in monochrome.
Mark Glaister, growing up in Carlisle, Cumbria, was always inspired by his rather eccentric uncle, Ernest Glaister, a local watercolour artist but did not take up watercolour himself until late in life. He paints landscapes often drawing on the area of North Norfolk where he now lives in retirement with his wife, Grace.
Michael Green was born in Cheshire in 1937 and educated at Wrekin College and Manchester University.
After a career in the computer world, spent 10 years at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre as Development Director.
First wife, Elizabeth, died in 1989 leaving son, Nicolas who composes music for TV series and daughter, Rachel, who runs a successful catering business.
K...I...S...S
A meditation on the art of well-being by “keeping it simple”
by Peter Stanley
Find the ultimate way to live your life - although don't follow this book exactly or you may end up in trouble.
Simply take from it what you need. Live your life as YOU want to, and in doing so, have loads of fun.
This memoir incorporates all the elements of well-being with adventure, humour and a desire to ensure the readers own well-being.
A deeply personal and inspiring account of the author’s life but ultimately, this is a powerful message about the importance of the need to mitigate suffering, whether on an individual or social level.
The author shares his own experiences of overcoming adversity, as well as thoughts on how we can all work together to create a more compassionate and equitable world.
A rip roaring read but with the accent on the relief of suffering and achieving the ultimate in well being - how? - with humour – and fill your soul with music and your heart with love!
Peter spends his life having fun, or at least trying to when not extricating himself from yet another situation caused by his incessant quest to remove suffering from people’s lives with his care for others.
Sometimes dubbed a rebel with a cause, he has worked as an accountant, salesman, serial entrepreneur and chaired a public company for a number of years.
Married to Mame, a lovely lady who died a short while ago, they have two children, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
This is his first book.
Reviews by readers...
Angela Mays - Social Scientist “There is real warmth in this writing”
Fay Pedler - Physiotherapist “This book is addictive”
Sarah Juckes, Jericho Writers “I really enjoyed reading this”
Charmaine Despres “I love every single word Peter”
Cleo Howe “I agree with your thoughts on positive thinking, such a powerful healer”
Marcella Howard “You write as if it is coming from the heart”
Gerald Eugen Marcuse, G2NM
Pioneer of Radio
by David Fry, G4JSZ
Gerald Eugen Marcuse, a contemporary of Marconi, enjoyed similar fame during the early years of radio.
Marcuse’s amazing exploits in the 1920’s had earned him an international reputation as a radio experimenter and broadcaster but subsequently he became less wellknown.
In this superbly researched volume, Marcuse’s achievements are set out in detail, including numerous ‘firsts’, made through his brilliant understanding of the technology of the day and his perception of what was needed and what was to come.
First to contact South America, California, Australia & New Zealand by radio, he was instrumental in the foundation of formal ‘Ham’ Radio organisations, making contact with the Hamilton-Rice expedition and assisting both the Police and Ambulance services to set up mobile communications.
He shared his experience with other ‘Hams’ by giving advice and sending them vital components.
Marcuse was issued with a licence to broadcast entertainment from his home in Caterham. He battled with the legal authorities, especially the inertia of the Post Office (the legal body responsible for issuing amateur radio licences) and the BBC which hadn’t accepted the best operating frequencies that should have been used to broadcast overseas successfully.
A household name in the 1920’s but now almost unknown.
A remarkable career but with no official recognition.
After graduating from High School in Toronto, Canada in 1966, David was licenced G8CDQ in 1967 then G4JSZ in 1968.
He was appointed Technical Assistant at the BBC Engineering Department in 1968 at Evesham, Skelton (World Service Transmitters) & Droitwich.
David graduated in 1973 to teach Maths & IT at Droitwich High School. Here he established a vibrant radio club, coaching several students through the Radio Amateur’s exam and is still in contact with some of them.
He was appointed Head of IT at Shrewsbury Girl’s High from 1990-2006 then left to build a successful picture framing business.
David’s first book was based on a diary that Marcuse kept as an engineering student in Einbeck, Germany in 1903.
For more information
Contact David Fry:
marcuseg2nm@protonmail.com
Prayer Springs Eternal
A Closer Look at the Communion of Saints
by Richard France
We have a wonderful community of saints and in these uncertain times it is encouraging to look back on it, to see what others have achieved and what we can achieve.
The journey of faith made by those who lived before us can inspire our own journey.
The wisdom of the saints is part of their legacy to us.
However, it is the treasures to be found in their prayers, their letters and their outlook on life which are of most value to us.
Many of their writings have been preserved for us; they are there for us to read today, so that we can make them our own.
Some of those writings are to be found here, in this book you are holding. Explore your faith!
Richard France is a committed Christian, a Third Order Carmelite, and a longstanding member of his parish, which he values highly.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
You will be allocated a project-sheet on the YouCaxton website so that you can monitor progress and ensure that all stages are properly completed.
If you would like to see an example of a Project-Sheet…
go to My project on the menu and enter…
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