A WELL-known hair stylist in Blackburn is looking to prove he can make the ‘cut’ in a new career - as a children’s author.

And Nigel Womack’s debut effort, The Angry Giant, has the makings of a fairytale success.

The 65-year-old, who has run Nigel’s Cutting Shop in Town Hall Street since 1974, has been penning weird and wonderful tales since he was a teenager.

But now he’s teamed up with former teacher and illustrator Ursula Hurst, he’s hoping to do for children’s literature what Elton John and Bernie Taupin did for 70s songwriting.

Her artwork brings to life Nigel’s tale of Paw, a boy who goes in search of a behemoth, fabled in ancient fables, who lives underground.

Darwen-born Nigel said: “I’ve been writing poetry and stories since I was 15 and I just love language. When I was introduced to Ursula, I found I could send her the words and she could bring Paw and the giant to life, without any hints from me.”

Ursula, 49, who taught at St Anne’s Blackburn and St Charles in Rishton and now runs Art Daze, a schools arts initiative, added: “When I read Nigel’s work the images just come into my head.

“I’m always trying to include the little details, which children get but adults might miss, and slip in some of those really juicy words, for them to try out, like ‘irascible’.”

Her rendering of the giant is now the town centre’s latest mural, on the side of Nigel’s shop.

The partnership’s work is being published through Christina Gabbitas, herself an award-winning author and the driving force behind the town’s children’s literature festival.

“Working with Christina, she has been able to guide us through with how we can get the book out to as many places as possible,” said Nigel.

On February 16, from 11am, the story gets an official launch at Blackburn’s WHSmith and shoppers can already bump into a giant cut-out of the Angry Giant himself in the Mall.

Nigel has dozens more stories in the pipeline and is working on a bee-based epic, for release in September. He has sent early drafts to Ursula of the piece, which revolves around a bee who has lost her yellow and black jumper.