Derek turns his lockdown notes into a new book
A CHURCH preacher from Derbyshire who began jotting down thoughts to share with family and friends during the Coronavirus lockdown has published his musings in a new book.
Derek Turton offered comfort to those left feeling isolated or vulnerable by the restrictions imposed on the UK through what he called “pause for thought” notes.
Initially written daily but now in a weekly format, these have covered everything from spiritual readings to stories from his youth and informative pieces on trolleybuses and famous urban planner Ebenezer Howard.
These were sent out to worshippers at Spondon Methodist Church, but quickly spread to those in Borrowash and Draycott Methodist churches before making their way north to places like Newcastle, and Yorkshire.
Derek, a preacher in the Derby Methodist Circuit, soon had more than 30 thoughts to his name, which he has since decided to publish in book form as a keepsake.
Called Thoughts from a Garden Seat, the publication, which costs £5 and from which profits will be shared between the Methodist churches in Spondon, Borrowash and Draycott, contains 32 entries.
A second book is also in the planning which Derek, a retired builder and local authority surveyor from Spondon, hopes to publish in the new year.
“People I know were extremely worried about the pandemic so I tried to comfort them with a little lighthearted item they could read with their elevenses,” the 72-year-old said.
“The stories vary from what I’ve been doing during lockdown, like the gardening and stuff like that, stories from my youth and about mum and dad, and some are spiritual and informative.
“I’ve had a lot of phone calls from people saying ‘we did that’ or ‘I can remember that’. I’m very overwhelmed.”
To order a book call 07910 215519.