Scratching Shed Publishing -

Matching Rucksacks

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:24:42 +0000

Coming soon... pre-order now

By Peg Alexander

The rucksacks are packed again. Radio and TV personality Peg Alexander embarks on a journey to Asia and the Middle East with husband Jim, another seminal moment in their lately-troubled relationship.

Travel – and the fortunes of Leeds United – bind the couple together as they come to terms with Jim’s mental health issues, and an adoption process that seems to thwart them at every turn. This ‘rewind trip’ is a partial repeat of their ‘Global Adventure’ ten years earlier, when travel had again been their saviour, part of a healing process that allowed them to learn about themselves, the lives of others, and cultures different to their own.

Amid the anxiety, Peg’s Yorkshire wit and innate positivity shine through. We learn about her upbringing, the duo’s time together and countries they have visited, past and present, plus how those places have since changed too. It’s a different kind of insight into human fragility and fallibility, with an understanding of alternative horizons at its heart – and also an enjoyable travel guide to those places en route.

Sometimes you have to travel halfway around the world before you can see what’s right in front you.

Happy Hours – A Great British Pub Diary

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:24:42 +0000

by Mike Critchley

FOR more than 40 years Mike Critchley has been on a journey through the character-packed pubs of the British Isles. From spit-and-sawdust backstreet boozers through to majestic Victorian drinking palaces, he has chronicled every new visit in a little blue notebook kept since he turned 18.

In Happy Hours, Mike recalls many of the highlights – and a few low points – of that ‘never-ending pub crawl’ in a book that charts significant changes to the way we drink and world about us.

There is a pub for all seasons, with potted histories of Britain’s finest pub buildings, observations of legendary landlords and landladies, recollections of colourful elbow-bending customers and an appreciation of good beer.

Happy Hours weaves in many personal anecdotes and aspects of social history and is delivered with a large dollop of northern humour. It is laced with the wit and wisdom of many of the folk Mike has had the crack with in bar rooms over the past five decades.

At a time when we are losing pubs hand over fist due to a multitude of reasons, this book is a timely reminder of the importance of these wonderful institutions and community hubs, and the role they play in society.

* Mike Critchley has been a journalist on the St Helens Star for the past 25 years, having previously worked for Birmingham MetroNews and the Birmingham Mail. Happy Hours is Mike’s fifth book, the four prior ones about his beloved rugby league.

No Plan B

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:24:42 +0000

The Story – and Diary – of One Woman’s Inspirational Battle with Motor Neurone Disease

by John Hatton

Contains a foreword by Lindsey Burrow

On 17 January 2023, mere months after her mother had died from motor neurone disease, Julie Hatton was also diagnosed with MND and passed away just 212 days later. Following her diagnosis, husband John began a diary in which he charted the progression of his wife’s condition. Then, as the dreadful disease gathered pace, that diary became a journal wherein he charted their final journey. This book is the result, a story of sadness, fear and love.

OUT JANUARY 2026 – PRE-ORDER NOW

Tommy Cannon – This Is Me

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:24:42 +0000

PUBLISHED 24 OCTOBER 2025 – PRE-ORDER NOW

By Tommy Cannon

with a Foreword by Robbie Williams

Tommy Cannon was half of one of the most popular comedy duos British television has ever produced. Wheeltappers & Shunters Social Club ... Royal Variety Performances ... Saturday night light entertainment ... end of the pier during many a seaside season... the pair even made a popular feature film. In short, Cannon and Ball were everywhere.

But just who is this unassuming welder from Oldham, real name Tommy Derbyshire, whose life changed on the day he met Bobby Harper? And when you’re the straight man in the partnership, what happens when you lose your beloved best friend to Covid? You question everything: past, present and whether there’s a future.

Here, for the first time, are Tommy’s reminiscences of a tough start in life, the unexpected fame, fortune and loss of all that – and of how hard he found it to grieve for his little mate in the red braces. Five years later and back on the road with a huge social media following, he is now ready to tell his story. Rock on, Tommy!

Jake Thackray – The Unsung Writer

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:24:42 +0000

Edited by Paul Thompson

“I would rather make people laugh, than make them do anything else...”

Hilarious, irreverent, poignant, fanciful, quirky, imaginative, original, musical. Jake Thackray was a storytelling genius who loved using words to entertain, move, surprise and provoke. While his extraordinary songs are rightly celebrated, they were not the beginning of his life as a wordsmith, nor the end. Jake Thackray – The Unsung Writer is a chance to explore Jake’s other writings: love poetry; an experimental short story; his charming script for a school musical; amusing pen portraits; his first published work; tall tales crafted for his concerts; and his acclaimed, colourful columns for the ‘Yorkshire Post’ and ‘Catholic Herald’. This entertaining collection provides fresh insights into Jake’s creativity and the development of his distinctive voice.

Paul Thompson is also the co-author of critically-acclaimed biography Beware of the Bull – The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray