"In our youth, most of us Northern pensioners will have collected sea shells on the sands of the beach at Blackpool, Morcambe or Scarborough. Sadly however, the seaside resorts of our past seem to have had their heyday. Indeed, I was reading recently just how many city children of modern times have never seen a cow or made a sandcastle on the beach with a bucket and spade.
What will the modern-day child have to remember in their old age, I wonder? I find it hard to believe what text messages they ever sent or how many different jobs they never held down will be sufficient to fill their memory bank with experiences worthy of recall.
When all the water's been drained from the cooking pot of life and all we're left with in our old age is our collection of sweet moments, what will prove more meaningful in our rocking chair of recall; finding sea shells in the sands of our youth or texting friends from the privacy of our bedrooms?
During the 90s, my late friend, Catherine Cookson loved a character of mine called 'Action Annie' so much that she and her husband Tom, paid for my first publication of the book. Annie is a girl as good as any boy; a determined child who never gives up and after a number of mishaps, eventually manages to succeed. The 'Action Annie Omnibus' is for the 5-9year old reader and contains twelve seasonal stories including, 'Annie's Seaside Surprise.' The book was described by the late Ofsted Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead in the press as being of 'high quality literature.' There are also four Action Annie stories that can be freely heard on my website by following the link below, of which 'Annie's Seaside Surprise' is one. The stories were recorded for radio transmission by the television actress, Brigit Forsyth, who played the character of Thelma in 'The Likely Lads.'
'The Action Annie Omnibus' is available in e-book format from www.smashwords.com.uk or for all twelve stories in an Omnibus paperback from www.lulu.com or amazon. All book sale profits will be given to a charitable cause in perpetuity , along with the £200,000 given since 1989." William Forde: May 10th, 2016.
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/action-annie.html
http://www.lulu.com/shop/william-forde/action-annie/paperback/product-21858182.html