local author, Hilary Orme was thrilled to be able to present a cheque for £500 to Macmillan Cancer Support at the Alma Inn, Linton, on Thursday, January 26th.

This represents the amount raised in royalties from the sale of her book, ‘Twisted Tales: A Collection’. Since then Hilary has received another £50 and a further £254 was raised by Linton Village Hall, which held a book signing event. Claire Hodgeson joined Hilary to hand over the money to Emma Garvey, Fundraising Manager, Herefordshire and The Forest of Dean.

Emma told the Ross Gazette: “It’s been a pleasure working with Hilary over the last six months, her enthusiasm for Macmillan and the support she received has been infectious. Her total raised to date is now £804 which will fund more than 28 hours of a Macmillan Nurse, helping local people affected by cancer.”

Hilary told the Ross Gazette: “Just before Christmas 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At all stages of my treatment, I received support from Macmillan.”

She wanted to do something to raise funds for the charity and decided to put together Twisted Tales, an anthology of short stories, each with a sting in its tail. There is something to suit all tastes, from little Gothic horrors to light-hearted sketches.

Hilary told the Gazette: “Recently, the partnership between Wye Valley NHS Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support together with donations from local people, built the Macmillan Renton Unit at Hereford County Hospital. Similar projects are funded across the country, making a tremendous difference to the lives of those affected by cancer. I was one of the people who benefitted from the work of the Radiotherapy team at the Unit and I wanted to say thank you.”

Although the title will be retired in the next few weeks, the author’s children’s books, ‘Past the Town of Tribulation & Straight on to Derring Do’ and ‘Red Skye Sunset’ are available on Amazon. A third title, ‘The Intrepid Trotter Malloy’, is in progress.

The stories feature the adventures of the ’Fearless Five’, a group of characters who learn that, when you work together, all things are possible. The action centre around the ’Old Harbour’, which is based on Lydney Docks, and involves the capture of a thief, saving shipwrecked sailors, rescuing a kidnapped cat and much more. The stories are suitable for children aged nine and above.