A MOSSLEY school lunchtime assistant has turned author with a new children’s title he hopes can be the start of a Dinner Dude series.
And the inspiration has come from what Martin Fitzpatrick sees every day.
The man in the playground at Milton St John’s primary school has penned the first title, Dinner Dude and the Lunchtime Playground Heroes, and is close to finishing the second.
In this story, children board a boat when lunch break starts and are transported to the high seas, where they encounter a huge whale.
He hopes to get it into the place where the idea came from – as well as the title – after taking the lead from the children, many of whom take to the boat on the playground during breaks, he has helped.
The 49-year-old, who lives in Top Mossley, said: “It’s just a nice, simple, friendly book that children will enjoy reading.
“To be honest, I wrote it in a couple of weeks. The playground hasn’t changed for a long time but when the children ran out, the one thing I knew was their imagination was changing it into whatever they wanted it to be.
“I thought, ‘That’s an idea.’ When they were in the playground, they were picturing things that no adult could see, so I started to picture a story that when they got in the boat, they were like, ‘Let’s imagine we’re on the seas.’
“So I had them in a boat, on the sea, we need something to come in and a bit of a challenge, so the whale came in.
“Then the bell rings, the water disappears, the whale swims off and they all line up.
“The start of the story is the bell rings and their imaginations kick in, have a story, then the bell rings and they all go back to class.”
Martin is currently putting together the second of the Dinner Dude series, which is set to feature a time machine and local landmarks like Woodend Mill.
His first is currently at Mossley Library but there are hopes of getting more printed and copies into schools.
And the man often seen walking while reading a book admits some of his inspiration comes from what he is going through, including kids’ titles.
There is a more serious, educational message behind the books, as well as his position – helping make a difference to pupils who approach him in the playground.
Then to decide how Dinner Dude, based on himself, would look.
He added: “The idea started in Milton St John’s playground seven or eight years ago.
“As I was the only male lunchtime assistant there, I stuck out a bit. So the kids would always come up to me – then one day, a child said, ‘Dinner Dude.’
“After that, it must’ve spread. When new children came in, it was kind of, ‘If you want to talk to anyone, talk to Dinner Dude.’
“They called me Miss, Mrs, Sir, Mr but Dinner Dude stuck. If children like you, they’ll always come up and talk to you – that was the key.
“Whatever they have to tell me, I listen to them. It can be for 10 minutes but I just listen as they’re working it out in their own heads too.
“That helps their education in a way. I can see how I’m making a difference and in some ways the children are learning things for the first time. It’s nice to see their progress.
“And I’d say the writing comes from my love of reading, some of the words I find in the books. There are words for different ages – but I’ll refer back to kids’ books, Stig of the Dump being a favourite.
“I normally have a piece of paper and a pen and an idea just comes. I’ll just think, ‘What would happen if?’ You just think of an idea, you write it down as you won’t tomorrow as you’ll forget.’
“The kids are really excited and some ask, ‘Am I in the book? Is it finished yet? Where can I find it?’
“I’ve got some of the original in Mossley Library. What I’m hoping is this story can go into Milton and then other schools, so they can all read it and be introduced to the character.
“This will be the first of many. In the next story, the boat turns into a time machine. Dinner Dude will be a guide and sometimes disappear then reappear.
“This could be a series of books that are about the playground and what the children’s imagination and what they are doing to the playground.
“But Dinner Dude is still a mystery character. It’s definitely me but how I’m illustrated, I don’t know.”