A COLLECTION of poems that focus on life in Ramsbottom has been released by an author.

Paul Jenkins spent a year visiting local landmarks and local events to get inspiration for his book Poems from Villagetown.

The name for the collection came from the ongoing debate as to whether Ramsbottom should be referred to as a village.

The book contains 20 poems that look at town life from a different angle.

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Mr Jenkins, who moved to Ramsbottom in 2009, said: “It’s a bit of a meander round about really.

“Ever since I came to Rammy I’ve been struck by how much is going on.

“We have so many huge public events like the Black Pudding Throwing championships or the chocolate, pie, cake, puzzle, beer, gin or music festivals.

“For a relatively small place - we really do pack a punch.”

However, it was the people of Ramsbottom who really inspired him with many of the poems focussing on local characters.

One poem tells the story of last year’s Boxing Day floods.

Mr Jenkins added: “When you scratch a little way below the surface there is a distinct character to Rammy folk - whether they are relative newbies like myself or people that have lived and worked here all their life.

“There’s a real camaraderie and character about the place - occasionally a bit of local banter, but definitely an immense pride about where we are lucky enough to live”

The cover of the book also has a local feel to it as it is an image of the town painted by Ramsbottom artist Stuart Barkley.

He painted the picture earlier this year and donated it to the Mr Jenkins for his book.

The book, is available to purchase from Ramsbottom Library at £3.50 or on Amazon.

It is also available to purchase for electronic devices for just 99p from Mr Jenkins’ website at www.thedramastudio.org.uk A proportion of sales from the book will be donated to Ramsbottom Community Hub.