Scratching Shed Publishing

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

PUBLISHED 24 OCTOBER 2025 – PRE-ORDER NOW

By Tommy Cannon

with a Foreword by Robbie Williams

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

By Tom McCooey

Maggie has been an almost constant presence in Tom McCooey’s life.

An old MG Magnette, she was not much to look at and desperately in need of some love and attention. But to young Tom, sitting in the driver’s seat, smelling the brittle leather and gripping the huge steering wheel, what was sitting in his parents’ garage was more than just his dad’s old car.

He had never seen Maggie move or heard the engine roar into life, but the fact his dad, Will, wouldn’t let go added to the magic and mystique. Aged 14, Tom embarked on bringing the characterful car back to life with Will, but life threw diversions in front of Maggie’s journey back to the road. Tom’s new priorities – including Bon Jovi – ensured the car stayed put and Will’s dream on hold.

Told through the view from the passenger and driver’s seats of the cars throughout Tom’s life, this love affair with the road – and Maggie – has not always been smooth, as each small victory uncovered another seemingly insurmountable problem.

But with understanding, supportive and capable people around them, from family, mechanics and friends willing to push an old car up a hill, will the pieces of Tom and Maggie’s journeys gradually come together in a tribute Will would have been proud of?

For Tom, it was never about what the car was, or might be, worth but preserving something central to his family’s history, and a 36-year perseverance to finally see the job through.

This is a story of restoration in its widest sense. Not just of a classic car but a son paying homage to his father; it’s about relationships, dealing with grief and finding perspective and true value.