Have a gander at this!

BIRDIE THRONG . . . Keith Begley proudly shows off his charity book “The Goose Chronicles of Saddleworth” with library volunteers John Martindale, Jenny Begley and Sue Warrington.

BOOK lovers united in Delph to look at a new collection of charity poems released by chair of the Saddleworth Parish Council, Keith Begley.

Penned by the local councillor, “The Goose Chronicles of Saddleworth” is a fanciful look at his passion for the feathered friends around local reservoirs.

Based on observations of a regular flock of geese in the early 1990s, the five stories are written in rhyme and centre around the cheekily-dubbed Gilbert the Goose.

Keith said: “For years I lived at Waters Lane in Delph and had a stunning view over the valley.

“One day I glanced out to see a group of five domestic geese waddling back and forth near the reservoir.

“I once saw one of them charging at a group of Canadian geese that had landed on the reservoir.

“I started to write a little tale about them and this grew to 126 verses over the years.”

The enthusiastic fundraiser has ordered 500 copies to be sold for £5 at charity functions throughout the year and wants buyers to flock to get their hands on a copy.

He hopes that sales of the book will help to raise much-needed funds for his chosen charities which support Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and the deaf and blind.

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy in the run-up to Christmas can contact Keith on 01457 874539.