Film maker to donate book profits to Dr Kershaw's

A film maker turned author has pledged to donate a chunk of the profits from his brand new book, ‘Butcher Boy’, to Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

The book is about how his father built a renowned butcher’s business from nothing.

Saddleworth’s John Matthews has been moved by the plight of Dr Kershaw’s after being told it has had to close down a ward and is doing most of its work in the community because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The hospice costs up to £3 million a year to run and has to raise two million of that through local donations.

Because of the lockdown, all the fundraising events which the facility running have stopped.

After the publication of the book on Monday (April 20), John will give all profits made in May and June to Dr Kershaw’s.

John, now 54, began his career working for his late father Ray at Matthews Butcher’s in Rochdale, but went on to become a researcher for broadcaster Jeremy Paxman and a film maker working with likes of six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and many others.

His company, Bigger Pictures Studios, sells productions in more than 50 countries across the globe.

John started writing the book “Butcher Boy” [www.butcherboybook.com] in December when business tailed off before the Christmas hiatus.

He said: “I wrote about what it is like working for your dad, working for a family business - the fun, the pain, the stress.

“The book is meant to be easy to read, with short sentences, short chapters.

"The font is large so those with poor eyesight will find it easier to read.

"I cannot stand buying a book and not getting to the end.

"It’s a story for everyone.

“As with everything at my dad’s butcher’s shops, the book is of very high quality.

"It is meant to be a Father’s Day gift, something that you will be proud to give and enjoy wrapping up for your dad.

“Someone told me that it costs close to £10,000 a day to run a hospice, and the now need for extra personal protective equipment (PPE) is putting these places under extreme pressure.

“Most of the PPE is disposable so there is a requirement for vast amount of it.

"With these unprecedented times, my own enterprises are currently shut causing no end of problems.

“I like many have been feeling helpless.

"I want to help others and this is one way I can do that."

The books can be bought online via: www.butcherboybook.com and will be sent via the Post Office which is currently still running.

The book celebrates working on a thriving high street, a time of hard work when town centres were bustling.

The sleeve blurb says: “When I was growing up, my dad said to me, ‘Don’t be a nobody, John. Make sure you’re a somebody. You’re a Matthews, you’re one of the Matthews family – and that means something. Don’t ever forget that’.”

This book is about the kind of family business that has slowly been disappearing.

John said: “It’s about a time not so long ago when there weren't boarded-up shops on every high street, when Amazon was just the name of a river, a time when customers shopped locally and were treated like royalty.

“It’s about a time when things were bustling and young men were expected to do as their fathers wished – whether they wanted to or not.”

A thought-provoking, funny and often moving memoir, Butcher Boy tells the story of a man who built a commercial empire – and the price his family had to pay.

John has retrained as a drama director, recently directing a sell-out play at the Millgate Arts Centre, “April in Paris”.

He is involved in feature films as a director as well as running Bigger Picture Studios and non-profit Dog with a Bone, both of which are currently shut due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

‘Like millions of others I’m furloughed at the moment and I really wanted to do something positive.’

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