Page 7 - Smile Sample - Chorlton

Sample Chapter.
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INTRODUCTION

The principal reason for this book is to
take a swipe at the false news and click
bait that have become the norm in our
society. How often have you seen a
tasty headline that leads from a
promise of eternal youth to a new
broadband provider? Not that all the
stories in here are entirely true, but
written with a “tongue in cheek”
perspective. As Mark Twain said, “never
let the truth get in the way of a good
story”, or did he actually say that?
Some of the stories are simple in their
reading and others have a more complex and unexpected twist to them.
A number of accounts in the book have echoes of the uncertainties and
the demise of stability in our fragile society, while others play on the tragic
events upturning our settled life style. These mainly Chorlton based tall
stories, with snippets of sometimes exaggerated testimony, and tales of
disproportionate catastrophes and misfortunes will appeal to the sense of
humour instilled in the minds of every Chorltonian.
Remembering my youth and a spoof broadsheet I used to read, I
thought it would be fun to pinch the idea of Billy’s Weekly Liar and adapt it
to Chorlton and its quirks. Having written several books with Andrew
Simpson and understanding the principals of print technology, I set about
gathering the stories based around the topical subject matter in the
township and surrounding areas.
I launched a Facebook page entitled Chorlton Weaklie News, and began
the publication of the printed version of Chorlton Weaklie News which is a
weekly (or thereabouts) A4 newspaper. The original reason for the social
media page and newspaper was as a platform to raise awareness for The
2020 Chorlton Arts Festival, which was cancelled because of the
Coronavirus.
The massive audience that the Facebook page and newspaper received
inspired me to gather the stories together in the form of a printed book.
This will not be just a catalogue of Facebook posts but a whole bag of
laughs, paying homage to the late William Curtis and his Billy’s Weekly Liar
newspaper, which was the inspiration for this book. Inside the book you will
find not only incredible stories of the area but a plethora of explanations
covering old sayings like the origin and meaning of “Mad as Hatter”, a chunk
of “Dad Jokes”, some exceptional “One liners”, and a bucket full of “Unusual
Names” like Theresa Green and Eileen Dover.

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