Hannah Rose

I live in Lymm in Cheshire and retired as a Headteacher in 2009. My life in education formed the theme for my first book, ‘Time to Declare’. The second came out of a discussion with former Manchester City and Tranmere goalkeeper, Eric Nixon, who was Fleetwood Town’s goalkeeping coach at the time. ‘Big Hands Big Heart’ was the result. I had joined Fleetwood Town shortly after retirement and have worked in their press department for seven seasons. Another book emerged from a chance conversation at the club. This time it was with physio Ian Liversedge. Ian has worked at every level from non-league to international and shared stories about a colourful career in ‘Life’s a Ball’. ‘Living the Dream’ secured a hat trick of football-related titles. It covered the remarkable rise of Fleetwood Town, six promotions in ten seasons.

Away from the game, I collaborated with my wife Susan and covered the remarkable story of a friend of ours, Hannah Rose, who was attacked by a virus at the age of 15 and paralysed from the neck down. ‘Hannah Same Both Ways’ emerged in 2013 and was reprinted this year.

My Dad inspired me to write and I so nearly went down a journalistic career before going into teaching. Sadly, he died in 2015 and I produced a book of his extensive work on Yorkshire which came out on October 1st 2016. Its title is ‘Bill Mitchell’s Yorkshire’ and is published by Dalesman, the magazine he edited for nearly twenty years.

‘Hannah Moving On’ came out at the end of 2017 and follows up from where ‘Hannah Same Both Ways’ left off, including the momentous move into her own home.

A year later, ‘From Snicket to Wicket’ was published. It is about the part that cricket has played in my life, from my schooldays down the snicket in Settle through to adult cricket. As well as documenting some of my exploits, it is a celebration of the great game.

Number nine came out in September 2020. It is a collaboration with John Gwynne, the well-known broadcaster in darts, football and cricket. ‘Soccer Satisfied’ is a nostalgic homage to football, the game he has followed all his life. Publication was delayed by the pandemic.

The pandemic featured significantly in ‘Alexa, when’s it going to end?’ (2021), my diary of a Covid year, and in ‘Hannah Unmasked’ (2022), the third in the series about the inspirational Hannah Rose. 2023 sees the publication of my first poetry anthology’Fifty Shades of Beige’, poems about retirement. A year later I celebrated a milestone birthday with a follow-up ‘Seventy Shades of Age’. My most recent book is out at Christmas 2024. ‘PONDY: Captain, Leader and Legend’ tells the story of a record-breaking footballer.

So it has been a busy retirement so far. I have had time to spend with Susan, our three daughters-Helen, Kathryn and Gillian-and grandchildren, Max and Evie. In 2019 we moved from Thornton Cleveleys to Lymm, near the grandchildren! Membership of the University of the Third Age, golf, crown green bowling and holidays are further pleasant diversions. In addition, I produced pieces for the Fleetwood Town programme and contributed to the match day operation until August 2020