Love of village put to poetry

YOU could be forgiven for thinking that a new book by John Gilder — the Oldham Chronicle’s amateur soccer correspondent for the past 29 years — would be about football.

But John, who is also BBC Radio Manchester’s Oldham Athletic reporter, has published a book of poetry.

And the backdrop is his beloved Ravenglass, a Cumbrian coastal village he has been visiting since his teens.

John (50) said: “These last few years have given me the urge to compose a book of poems about the place.

“I took the decision to self-publish and have used a Saddleworth-based printing company who I have to say have been brilliant.

“These aren’t just another set of poems describing azure skies and, dare I say it, golden daffodils.

“As I began to write and then review each poem, it became clear to me that there was a theme coming out, so I naturally developed that.

“This is a book about life, love, loss and nature, with the village of Ravenglass as its setting.”

The 48-page book, ‘Fractured Hearts — A Lake District Village in Poems and Pictures’ has more than 40 colour photographs from John’s own collection.

It’s not his first book about the village — in 1990 his debut work ‘Ravenglass - Picture Portrait of a Village’ sold over 5,000 copies, but is now out of print.

John added: “Ravenglass attracts thousands of visitors, mainly because of the seven-mile long miniature railway.

“Even though the book is at times about a personal journey, which starts with my adolescent awakening and ends with my ashes scattered on an ebbing tide, I like to think that the images contained in the book will act as a souvenir of a beautiful and unique place.”

Priced at £4.99, it is available initially from John on 07905 238405.