FORMER BBC reporter and personality Clinton Rogers has raised £12,500 for St Margaret’s Hospice Care - the proceeds from writing a book.

After retiring last year, ex-Wellington Weekly journalist Clinton decided a lifetime of stories were just too good not to be shared and wrote an autobiography titled ‘A Life in Broadcasting - Celebrities Wars and All’.  The book went on sale last September with all proceeds going to the hospice - thanks to the generous sponsorship by local estate agents Wilkie May and Tuckwood.

Clinton said: “A number of people asked me to write a book and I always said no.  Then I had the idea to raise money for the hospice. Fast forward a year and there are only a handful of copies left and every penny from the sale of the books has gone to hospice! This was only possible due to the generous sponsorship by Wilkie’s as well as so many of my friends and ex-colleagues who gave me with advice and support for free!

“From Rumwell Farm Shop who sold the books and made sure the full amount was given to the hospice, to Anthony Gibson, Alain Lockyer, Ray Stokes, and Stephen Clarke who gave me their honest opinion when needed and the book is better for it. There are so many people to say thank you too, not least my wife Jo and family who as always were so supportive of the process.

Ann Lee, chief executive officer of St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice, said: “Clinton is a wonderful ambassador for the hospice, forever our friend. Of course we never doubted that the book would be a sell-out but Clinton’s work and support behind the scenes has meant that 100% of the profits will go directly to helping patients across Somerset, the very people he wrote about in the book!

“The money raised could pay for a patient’s care in our In-patient Unit for 25 days. It is an incredible achievement and we can’t thank him enough. I’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who bought the book as well as getting a great read you’ve directly helped patients and their families facing a life-limiting illness across the county.”

There are a handful of copies left, which can be purchased from the hospice’s website while stocks last: https://www.st-margarets.