Gavin Wynne has included family members as characters in his book, The Adventures of Foggy Goggles
A Beverley shop worker has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the publication of his debut children’s book – realising a long held ambition. Gavin Wynne has already attracted more than £1,200 worth of backing for his debut story – The Adventures of Foggy Goggles, which tells the story of Foggy and how a trip to the swimming pool quickly turns into a wild, underwater odyssey.
The 51 year-old said he was inspired to write the story after having discovered through his niece and nephew that he found many current children’s books to be crass and full of “farts and bogeys”. The 40-page paperback features the main adventure story and is peppered with ocean facts and environmental tips to encourage young people to look after their surroundings – inspired by Gavin’s work with the Wildlife Alliance.
Gavin, from Leven, explained: “I try and do something different every year. For example I present a radio show on Beverley FM. And I’ve thought about doing this for a long time, so I thought ‘I’ll give it a whirl'”. He added: “I had the idea and the name for it quite a long time so my wife just said “get your head down and get a story going” so I just came from there. The name popped into my head one day and I ran with it.”
The Kickstarter fund – which is already 120% over target – gives people the opportunity to pledge sums to support Gavin’s self-published work, which he hopes to get stocked in local bookshops. So far backers – including some total strangers – have given up to £100 each to the campaign, which offers rewards for support in the shape of signed copies, stickers and even printed dedications for top pledgers.
Funds will be used to get the book printed, and Gavin has promised to donate 15 books to local charities if he reaches £1,500. Seven days remain on the Kickstarter with 52 backers so far.
The story of Foggy has been brought to life by illustrator Molly Paveley, who Gavin describes as a “patient (very patient) all round good egg”. He explained: “Molly looked at the book and said, ‘I can work with that’. So I gave her some very rough sketches and she turned my rubbish into magic. She turns my stick man into a proper drawing. The story is nothing without the characters, and they’re beautiful drawings.”
Becoming a children’s author is just the latest arts project for Gavin, who three years ago was behind the recording of an alternative World Cup song in support of England’s campaign in Qatar. The ‘Arf a Pound of Spuds’, by The Tight Tops featured a cameo appearance from 90s children’s TV favourite Badger from the Bodger and Badger series.
A video accompanying the song was shot almost exclusively in Gavin’s home village of Leven. It has generated hundreds of views on YouTube.
Describing the plot of The Adventures of Foggy Goggles, Gavin said: “It’s basically about a girl who is obsessed by swimming and she has a really close bond with her grandad – he was a swimmer. And he gives her some goggles – but you don’t know if it’s the goggles or her imagination – and she ends up in the sea.
“It’s all about her adventures helping animals. And there’s a beautiful element to it in the bond between the grandparent and the granddaughter.” The story features several characters based on real members of Gavin’s family, including his own father as the granddad, his dog as Foggy’s dog Scruff and his father-in-law as a turtle.
Gavin hopes to begin marketing the books via local businesses and through his own website. The Kickstarter campaign will run until Tuesday, August 26.