I have been a writer with The Times since the dawn of time, and have kept a semblance of sanity by writing books. Three of these have been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Prize. Another won a British Sports Book gong. I have also written two non-fiction books for children, and have ghostwritten books for a range of people including Olympic champion Jessica Ennis, a spiritual biker and a maverick primate expert. My books have taken me to the back streets of Mexico City, the secret police archives in Prague and far too many cemeteries to be healthy. My latest book is ‘Now Then; a biography of Yorkshire’  which is about triumph, tragedy and Ted Hughes, as well as rockers, rejection and rhubarb.

I also like to run literary workshops, often using sports journalism as a peg to entice reluctant readers and writers. My website for that is www.presspackers.com.

Away from writing I have been training as a counsellor since lockdown and plan to combine the two to offer writing therapy projects. 

Favourite writer: Tennessee Williams

Favourite poets: Tony Harrison and Helen Mort

Favourite book: Empire Falls