Popular former BBC Radio Gloucestershire breakfast host Mark Cummings has released his first book, charting the county he loves.
Stroud is at the heart of Glorious Gloucestershire as the first chapter features Mark’s interview with Rosalind Buckland, Rosie from Cider with Rosie.
This chapter reveals what really went on under that hay cart. Other literary gems include Nailsworth’s W.H. Davies and how he inspired the name of the band Supertramp and how Bisley’s Jilly Cooper got into a spot of trouble over the use of the name Paradise in one of her novels.
The book features the impact the area has had worldwide with the invention of the lawn mower, the adjustable spanner, instant custard and shorthand.
George Holloway’s altruism is celebrated with a chapter on the moment Mark got the Holloway Hooter blasting all over the Five Valleys once again.
Stroud’s Rock and Roll connections are explored with anecdotes about Mike Oldfield’s time in Bisley and that famous night when The Beatles played at The Sub Rooms. Also, Mark spills the beans on his close friend Manfred Mann’s Mike d’Abo with some hilarious stories of his thirty years living around the town.
Mark, who presented the BBC Radio Gloucestershire Breakfast Show for 18 years said: “This book encapsulates all I have learned and shared over the years with thousands upon thousands of inquisitive, funny, informative listeners. I am drawing on personal encounters to create something a little bit different. I have spent a year holding the role of the Mock Mayor of Barton, interviewed the real Rosie from Cider with Rosie (Rosalind Buckland), created and cycled a “Tour de Gloucestershire” (200-mile route around the county’s iconic locations), hosted guided tours of the Severn Bore and looked into the mirror that inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice through the Looking-Glass.
“My greatest wish is that this book will convey my love and emotion for our staggeringly beautiful, innovative and surprising county. I want you to enjoy the wow factor of discovering gems about Gloucestershire you never knew before and feel inspired to explore more profoundly, armed with new knowledge. This is a unique guide taking both locals and visitors deep into Gloucestershire’s soul.
As an extra bonus, the purchaser of this book gets their hands on a most sought-after Forest of Dean Fern ticket and can act as quizmaster testing friends and family with a hundred questions about Gloucestershire. Cyclists will have an opportunity to download the route with every twist and turn of my “Tour de Gloucestershire” ride around the county.
Mark will be talking at The Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 8th and The Stroud Book festival on November 6th. All the details of where Mark will be appearing are on his website www.markcummingsandgoings.com
