Are you still in need of a stocking filler? I am pleased to be doing my bit to help out BIADS...

A LITTLE heads up for an event I’ll be doing in the Chronicle office up on Church Street.

Put it in your diary – next Wednesday 11.30am-2pm, I will be selling and signing copies of my new book (and some of the old ones) but every single penny of any profits will be going into the coffers of BIADS, our local charity supporting patients who have dementia and their families and they really do a smashing job.

There will be a raffle, there will be giveaways, there will be Haywood and Padgett scones and you are all very welcome to come and join us even if it’s for a cuppa and a mingle or just to shove something in their collecting pot.

Or maybe you’d like to talk to someone from the BIADS team.

They’ll be on hand to do that. Plus signed books always go down well as Christmas presents – hint! We very much hope to see you there.

■ May I direct your attention also to the Lamproom Theatre on Monday December 12 at 7.30pm as I will be doing a Christmas Cracker Festive Fun event with my old mucker Mr Jack Land-Noble.

I will be delivering some of my ‘not for the sensitive’ poetry and Jack will be crooning as only the old smoothie can.

It is a one-night-only special crammed with Christmas spirit as we thought people might want a cheer up, so do get your tickets before they all go.

Also the bar is lovely in the Lamproom. Tickets can be bought on the website barnsleylamproom.com or by ringing 200075.

■ Talking of books I am delighted to see that my old pal Ronnie Steele has yet another book out on the shelves.

Hot on the heels of his book ‘Build it for Barry’ about the Kes statue project, plus lots of other anecdotes about Barnsley, comes ‘A Blue Plaque for Brian Glover’ which I will be getting my hands on next time I go into town.

This one, of course, is self explanatory from the title and Ronnie did get that plaque put on the outside of the Chennells this year.

How proud he must be because I hear it all the time ‘I’d love to write a book about X’ but people never do and that book sits inside them forever and never comes out.

What a wonderful feeling it is to have achieved the writing of one and be holding it in your hand.

It’s not easy writing a book, a bit more to it than just sitting on your bum and pressing typewriter keys. But at this rate Ronnie will be catching me up and overtaking me. What’s next, Ron? Because we need a trilogy!

■ Lovely little letter at the foot of last week’s Your View page about Dickie Bird.

The author of it Mrs Dacre wanted to say a public thank you for Dickie for making her mum’s day when they bumped into him in the Victorian Tea Rooms.

He was so kind, she said, a gentleman and he posed for a photo with her elderly mum and made her smile. Yep – that’s Dickie.

Despite all his success, he doesn’t get his food shipped to him from Waitrose, he’s there queueing up in Greggs for his bread, frequenting the coffee shops, giving local charities big bunces of cash and is never too busy that he can’t stop and have a word with someone who wants to say hello.

A kind and cheery gentleman indeed.

And he always has been. And we are very lucky to have him in Barnsley.