A carpenter who worked on the new Inpatient ward at St Michael’s is raising funds for the hospice thanks to his other talent as a children’s author.

Brian Fern has written a series of books based on the adventures of his Cobble Street Rats creation.

To tie in with the festive season, he will be signing copies of The Christmas Adventure, one of five books in the series, at the Hospice’s Coffee & Books shop on Station Yard, Leominster next Tuesday (20th) between 9.30am-12pm.

A proportion of the profits from the book will go to St Michael’s.

‘The books are about a gang of rats who form a friendship and a bit of a bond together,’ said Brian.

‘They’re just like kids really. It’s about looking out for each other.

‘I’ve been writing these books for about two years.’

Brian’s writing extends beyond the children’s genre, with his other work including a novel and a short story.

In his carpentry role he spent 18 months working on the Hospice’s 20-bed Inpatient ward at Bartestree which opened in March 2015.

‘I got to know a lot of people at St Michael’s,’ he said.

‘It’s lovely there. The landscaping has been done really nicely. I think it’s great.’

Brian’s books are currently for sale online at Amazon, and at Rossiter Books in Monmouth.