Edinburgh carer writes children's book for homeless charity this Christmas

Jim Campbell, 57 and his book Dance Franky, Dance

Jim Campbell, 57, from Dunfermline, is a home carer for Call-In Homecare in the West of Edinburgh and enjoys writing books as a hobby in his spare time.

The book titled ‘Dance Franky, Dance’ is centred around the son of a carer who dreams of becoming a dancer after being influenced by Strictly.

He is told that this will not be possible due to the boy having two left feet but the dreamer gets a special visit that changes the course of his future.

Jim wanted to write the book that paid homage to the work of carers who have kept the country going during the Covid-19 pandemic but also to produce something light and fun for all the family.

As a home carer he says that although he was well looked after by his employer, others found themselves in extremely difficult situations during the pandemic and he wanted to do something for them.

The book is for sale on Amazon for £6.99 and will see all proceeds going to the Edinburgh City Mission to help combat homelessness in Edinburgh.

Jim said: “I have written books in the past to raise money for a church in Dunfermline and do enjoy writing whenever I get a spare minute.

“During the pandemic, whenever I got five minutes, I’d just write down a sentence or a paragraph and slowly but surely the book came together.

“I think it is a great stocking filler and every single last penny will go to a great cause in Edinburgh. I wanted to involve a carer as sometimes the job we do is not recognised by society. But I must admit the inspiration for the dancing did come from Strictly.”

The books cover and illustrations were created by Ross Conlan from Dunfermline.

On Ross, Jim added: “I just tell him what I want and he does it perfectly every time. It is like he is a mind reader.”

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