Two East Lancashire lads, who won a Pride of Britain award after raising thousands for charity, have written a book.
Hughie Higginson, from Burnley, and Freddie Xavi, from Whalley have created a “vibrant picture book” all about the importance of friendship.
Friends Are Amazing, illustrated by Erica Salcedo, will be published on October 13 but is available to pre-order right now.
Hughie and Freddie said: “We have some very exciting news that we would like to announce.
“Freddie and I are writing a book. The book is about how friendship is so important and how you can be a best friend.
“We have written it with Scholastic and you can pre-order it now on Amazon.
“It is out in October and we really hope you enjoy it.”
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Hughie, 12, said they have been working on the book since February.
He said: “We’ve been so excited.
“It was hard to keep it a secret but now all of my friends know and my English teacher says we are going to read it in class
“It’s so strange to sit here and think ‘we are authors’ and that people are going to read something you have written."
Hughie’s dad, Keiron Higginson, said he is “really proud” of the boys.
He said: “They continue to surprise us with just what they are capable of and just how special their friendship is.
“They both really enjoyed writing the book and had a lot of fun in the process. We haven't had the first copies yet but we're all really excited for that when it lands.
“The book is a children's story picture book with beautiful illustrations by Erica Salcedo who also illustrated Greg James's ‘Kid Normal’ series of books.”
Keiron says the book has been a welcome distraction for Hughie, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in 2020.
He said: “As Hughie approaches two years since his diagnosis, his treatment is still progressing well and all of these brilliant achievements are proving to be the perfect distraction for his illness.”
According to the book’s synopsis, Friends Are Amazing is “a celebration of friendship from Pride of Britain winners, Hughie and Freddie.
“Hughie Higginson and Freddie Xavi tell us why friends are so special, and show us what we can all do to be a brilliant friend.
“The perfect picture book celebrating the importance of friendship and togetherness.”
From every copy sold, 25p will be donated to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity.
Determined to do something to support his friend after his cancer diagnosis, Freddie set himself a challenge of running 2km every day in the 50 days leading up to Christmas Day 2020.
And together the pair raised more than £200,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity and won a Pride Of Britain award for their efforts.
Earlier this year the friends took on a 100km challenge where they aim to run 1km around 92 Premier League and English Football League clubs, raising even more money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity as well as other oncology wards around the country.
Famous faces, such as Burnley’s Jordan North and Bolton comic Paddy McGuinness, have joined them on some of their runs.
So far they have raised more than £182,000 for their efforts.
Friends Are Amazing currently retails for £7.99 and you can pre-order your copy from any leading book store including Waterstones and Amazon.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here