IN BRIEF
WIRRAL DAD BRINGS HIS BOYS BEDTIME STORIES TO LIFE
CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR TESLA LOVING BEN
A local Wirral Dad has published his first children ’ s book after being inspired by his young sons during lockdown .
West Kirby based Richie Dean , who can usually be found looking after guests in his role of restaurant manager at the Chester Grosvenor ’ s iconic La Brasserie restaurant , said the lockdown meant he got to spend more time with his boys and spent many hours making up stories on the spot for them , especially at bedtime .
‘ I usually work in the evenings and often miss out on bedtime , so I was determined to use my furlough period to spend as much time with the boys as possible . They kept on asking for more stories about ‘ Mark The Shark ’, an imaginary character I came up with one night and it just stuck . It got to a point where they were asking for ‘ Mark The Shark ’ every bedtime , so I started making some notes of the stories .’
Richie ’ s two young sons , Mason 9 and Roman 2 couldn ’ t get enough of the tales but it was only when a close friend of the family Tom Clothier , told him about a new scheme to encourage budding children ’ s authors , that his dream to launch ‘ Mark The Shark , really started to take shape .
“ My friend Tom runs an online Toy Store on Amazon called TX Toys . When he told me about the scheme I thought I might as well give it a try . So I finally put pen to paper properly , found an amazing illustrator , submitted it to Amazon and two months later my book went on sale .”
So what ’ s the story all about ? As the title suggests ‘ Mark The Shark ’ and how he forges a very special friendship with a small plant he buys from a local shop . Over the coming days and months their friendship develops and the pair help each other to grow in ways they never imagined .
With over five hundred sales in his first week and two more books in the pipeline does Richie think he will move to publishing full time ?
“ No I don ’ t think so . I absolutely love my job at the Grosvenor and can ’ t wait to be welcoming guests back again . I ’ ve really enjoyed writing the books but more than anything , I love seeing my older boy Mason read the story to his little brother and I ’ m really proud to have created this lovely keepsake for my boys .”
To find out more about ‘ Mark The Shark ” or to order your copy (£ 4.99 ) please visit Amazon .
Wirral Support during Coronavirus group ( WSDC ) have given a young boy , Ben Jones , a treat of a lifetime - a drive in a Tesla .
Mum Kerry Jones contacted WSDC as she needed help to give her son Ben his dream . Her son has had the toughest of years due to a rare bone condition that means he can ’ t always play with the other kids . Kerry contacted WSDC after seeing some of the incredibly generous acts of community spirit displayed by the amazing Wirral community . She had contacted Tesla showrooms who informed her they were only seeing people for sales by appointment even when she explained he just wanted to sit in one .
Within less than an hour of putting out a request on the group WSDC had been offered six Teslas by amazing members . With the help of Phil Goodlad , George Allsop and Mark Baxter , a plan was devised to provide Ben with not one , but three different models of Tesla supercar . A request was also put out for a professional photographer to make an album of the day for him to cherish and Leigh Duffy of Leigh D Photography kindly stepped forward .
On Saturday 12th December , Ben was watching the other kids play out through his living room window when to his delight Tesla after Tesla pulled up outside his home in Eastham . The three Tesla owners went above and beyond to spend the next couple of hours allowing him and his brother to explore the gizmos and gadgets of all three Teslas . They then took him for a tour of Eastham .
Kerry said : “ My boy has complex needs and 2 genetic faults , which are extremely rare , he ' s the only one in the world to have these and they affect his day to day life . We ' ve had a tough year and I wanted to make him happy and something good he could talk about . To my surprise , almost immediately , kind-hearted people where rallying round to make his dream come true ! On Saturday not one but 3 amazing Tesla ' s came to our home to surprise him .
He was watching the kids playing from the window and he said .... ‘ Wow Mum I can see a Tesla .’ then was quickly excited to see THREE Tesla ' s roll up . I said these are here specially for you , he was shocked , overwhelmed and super happy !!”
Andy Poynton from WSDC said : “ At the end of what has been a very difficult year , I would like to thank all 11,000 WSDC members for the sheer effort and generosity displayed to those less fortunate than themselves . I am so proud of this group that started as a one-man band .”
6 wirrallife . com