Tales From the Allotments

Book excerpt: 'Tales from the Allotments' is my favourite story that I have ever written from the 50+ books I've had published. It is suitable reading for any teenager and adult. Although set in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it is a timeless story that is just as relevant today as it was 150 years ago. It tells the story of a mining village where the local pit is the sole employer. The pit is closed down and the miners are made redundant. Many of the villagers move in search of new homes and jobs, but the families of 18 miners who own an allotment refuse to leave their homes and village. After months and years of unemployment, increased poverty and the onset of hopelessness, all 18 ex-miners begin to work their allotment plot which become their saviour and provides them with a new purpose in life as well as fresh produce for their family tables. My dearly deceased father, Paddy Forde was an ex-miner in West Yorkshire and I rededicate this story to his memory.