Author inspired to pen new books for charity

A terminally ill author was 
inspired by his wife to 
continue writing more books for charity.
Mirfield author William Forde has written more books for charity.Mirfield author William Forde has written more books for charity.
Mirfield author William Forde has written more books for charity.

William Forde, who used to live in Mirfield, has raised more than £200,000 for charitable causes throughout his career. His stories attracted support from some of the world’s biggest names including Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana.

But after Mr Forde remarried and celebrated his 70th birthday in 2012, his life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Despite his illness, his wife Sheila convinced him to pick up the pen once more as she believed he still had many more stories to tell.

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This month marked the publication of the author’s 60th book in e-book format.

Mr Forde, who now lives in Keighley, said: “It is good to know that even when I am no longer here that my words and stories can still be accessed through my website.

“It took three thousand man hours to put together and my stories, for both children and adults, will hopefully continue to make money for charity.”

The author visited more than 2,000 schools across Yorkshire in a bid to encourage children to read.

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His campaign saw him rub shoulders with many famous faces including Michael Parkinson, Norman Wisdom and Paul Daniels.

The money raised from the sale of his e-books will be donated to children’s charities.

Visit www.fordefables.co.uk for Mr Forde’s back catalogue.

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