FAMILIES in the Liskeard area will receive a children’s book with food parcels after an author answered a plea from her former nursery school teacher.
St. Martin’s Church in Liskeard runs a food project in conjunction with Café Abundance. In normal times, Café Abundance takes food that would otherwise be thrown out by the supermarkets and uses it to make delicious and nutritious hot meals, served at the Church Centre.
Throughout the pandemic, Café Abundance has worked with St Martin’s Church and the meals have been delivered to people’s houses.
Annie Purdon reached out to her former pupil, Val Blackburn, on behalf of St Martin’s to request copies of her book, Jasper the Firefighting Dragon. Now copies of the book will be delivered out alongside the food.
The mother of four said that she was delighted to be able to help families in the local community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and lockdown.
Val, who grew up in Liskeard, trained as an actress and helps to run a London-based tour company, focusing on locations for film and TV, including Downton Abbey, Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.
Her career as an author started when her children, aged seven, three, and nearly two, asked for bed-time stories.
She made up different stories each night, but the tale about a dragon and fire engines became a firm favourite.
When the children asked to see the pictures, the story became a book. Now there are three books in the Jasper Dragon series, and more stories in the pipeline.
Val said: “I hope that the books will be a welcome surprise for families, and might even provide parents with a few moments of calm.”
Annie said she remembered Val well from St Martin’s School.
“I knew that she had written several children’s books. Having helped her learn to write, it is great to see that skill used to help today’s children with their reading.”