Author Charles gives elderly a write royal role
A30-YEAR-OLD author who works for Age UK has released a book with elderly people as lead characters to help change perceptions of that generation.
Charles Heathcote, from Macclesfield, has penned Royally Doris – the fourth instalment of his Doris Copeland series.
It features the 70-something housewife named in the title, who reunites her Women’s Institute members for a planning battle over the greenbelt.
The story also draws inspiration from Macclesfield events such as Danes Moss and homes developments at Broken Cross.
Charles, who works at the Age UK Poynton branch, said: “I chose to write about septuagenarians, because I find that the older generation is often maligned in fiction.
“I was lucky enough to have a lot of older relatives as I grew up, and yet, the media behaved as though life ended with retirement.
“Most of the people I know will agree that upon retirement, folk often find that life is beginning again because they’re getting to do all of the things they wished they had the time for before.”
The book will be the last of the Doris Copeland series and will be toured through the north west as previous ones have.
It is the culmination of a decade’s worth of work for Charles, who lives on Danes Square.
In her greenbelt battle against an old rival, Doris has secrets from her past emerge that threaten to disrupt her life. She is also invited to Buckingham Palace.
All of this is told from the perspective of her long-suffering husband ‘Arold.
Charles said: “This book also deals with more serious themes, such as the loss of greenbelt land, the perception of elderly people and grief.
“While the book is still a comedy at its core, these are topics that are relevant to what is going on not just on a national level, but locally as well.
“I was inspired by plans to build homes near Broken Cross, and as I finished the book, there are plans being pushed forward to redevelop Danes Moss. I think that people forget that once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Charles is also secretary for the Macclesfield Creative Writing Group, which meets on Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm at Macclesfield Library.