NAILSEA
PEOPLE
New books by local authors
A Nailsea professor has launched a book exploring how animals interact with sports and leisure venues.
Professor John Hancock, from the University of the West of England in Bristol, collaborated with fellow academics Ros Rouse and Chris Pawson on the book, titled Animal Behaviour, Welfare, and Interactions in Sports and Recreational Environments.
Published by CRC Press, part of the Taylor and Francis group, the book is Hancock’s third publication with the company.
His earlier works focused on animals during the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to predict weather changes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
In his latest book, Professor Hancock covers a variety of animals, from soil-dwelling nematodes and earthworms to bears and alligators, which can sometimes be found in unexpected places like golf courses and parks.
The book also covers a range of sports, from bowls to Formula One.
The inspiration for the book came from Professor Hancock’s role as lawn manager at Nailsea and District Croquet Club.
Here, he has dealt with various animal-related challenges, such as worm casts on wet lawns, squirrels digging up hoop holes, and birds pecking at the grass in search of grubs.
The book draws from a wide array of sources, including social media, press articles, and academic journals.
With a focus on animal welfare, it seeks to encourage people to consider the significance of animals in our environments, rather than viewing them as pests.
As well as co-authoring the book, Ros Rouse, a respected wildlife photographer and artist, also provided the art for the book's front cover.
More information about the book can be found on the Routledge website or in online bookshops.
This book is set to interest those keen on understanding more about the intersection of animal behaviour and human leisure activities.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behaviour-Welfare-Interactions-Recreational-Environments/dp/1032986220 £55.99 in paperback from Amazon
Animals sporting life
My Place In The Lineup, a book by Nailsea man Phil Williams has hit the bookstands.
Serving the Surfing Community, Through Life, Faith and Changing Tides
Can a passion for surfing become something far greater than a sport?
My Place in the Line Up journeys through 40 years of stories from the surfing world: from elite competitions to local communities, from moments of exhilaration to experiences with tsunami-ravaged areas.
This is a story of how faith can support and serve surfers around the world.
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"This book is funny, honest and at times deeply moving. It is the story of British surf culture told through the eyes of someone who served it faithfully for over 40 years," Nick Hounsfield, author and founder of The Wave
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"Phil's inspiring life story, told with all the trademark warmth, honesty, humour and humility of that voice so many of us in the UK surfing know and love so well," Tom Anderson, author and Welsh surf champion
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"It's great to read and be reminded of the long history of Phil's faithfulness and also God's faithfulness through many challenges," Brett Davis, founder of Christian Surfers International
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Learn more about Phil Williams and his book on PublishU.com
It is available to buy price £13.99 on Amazon HERE
With God on my surfboard
What really happens behind the scenes of one of Britain’s most beautiful and historic piers?
For 10 unforgettable years, Linda Strong served as Pier Mistress of Clevedon Pier in Somerset—a job that brought far more than sea views and Victorian charm.
From unexpected emergencies and celebrity encounters to film crews, fishermen, strange visitors and even stories of ghosts, no two days were ever quite the same.
In Tales of a Pier Mistress: Bombs, Bands & Bumps in the Night, Linda opens the door on her remarkable years at the Grade I listed Clevedon Pier, sharing the funny, surprising, moving and sometimes downright bizarre moments that made the job unique.
Discover the stories behind a suspicious object that brought the Bomb Squad to Clevedon, the day One Direction secretly arrived to film on the Pier, encounters with famous actors and television personalities, freezing New Year swims, dramatic storms, fishing adventures, unusual fundraising events and the mysterious Toasty Ghosty.
Linda also takes readers behind the scenes of television and film productions connected with the Pier, while sharing memories of the volunteers, visitors, fishermen and colourful local characters who made Clevedon such a special place.
Warm, witty and wonderfully personal, this is not a traditional history book. It is a British seaside memoir packed with true stories, humour, nostalgia and unforgettable characters, told by the woman who experienced it all.
Perfect for readers who enjoy British memoirs, local history, Clevedon and Somerset history, seaside nostalgia, celebrity stories, fishing tales, paranormal encounters and behind-the-scenes stories from tv and film.
Step onto the Pier and discover the stories tourists never got to see.
The description is grounded in Linda’s account of serving as Pier Mistress from 2005–2015, her aim to tell the humorous and unusual stories rather than write another engineering history, and the book’s episodes involving the Bomb Squad, One Direction, fishing, paranormal experiences and television/film productions.
The book written by North Somerset's answer to Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso fame is available on Amazon priced £7.41 in paperback HERE.
A very fishy storyline
This a heart-wrenching, emotional story of the power of friendship and the importance of hope in the most difficult times.
​The synopsis runs: In the darkest days of war, can she find a place to call home?
1939: When tragedy strikes in the East End of London, thirteen-year-old Ivy Connell and her little brother Fred find themselves orphaned. Holding Fred’s small hand, she knows she must keep him safe. So, Ivy decides to leave the bombed-out streets of the city in search of the Irish village her Daddy used to tell her so many stories about.
Somehow, she’s going to get them both to Ireland…
Ivy’s heard so much about the pretty village where her Mammy and Daddy fell in love. She hopes she might find her parents’ family still living there and a home away from the bombs. On the dangerous journey, they meet other orphans – bold and adventurous Lenny Brown and clever, talkative Arthur – and they travel together across the war-ravaged country.
The friendship between the children deepens with each obstacle they overcome, and they hold onto the hope that one day they will find a place to call home.
But will Ivy be able to reach the safety of Ireland? And if she makes it there, will she be reunited with her long-lost family – or is there more heartbreak to come?
Sandy Taylor is Nailsea’s most prolific and success author who is best known for emotional historical fiction and family sagas set in working-class communities.
She grew up on a council estate near Brighton during the 1950s and 1960s.
Because her family had few books at home, she developed her love of reading at the local library.
She left school at 15, worked in factories and later took a job at Butlin's in Minehead.
Her lastest novel is called The Irish Girl which is available on Amazon priced £8.99 HERE