An Everton employee who is providing a boost to Everton in the Community and the Blue Family campaign by selling copies of a story he wrote for his newborn son has seen his fundraising total surpass £4,000.
Billy The Spaceman, written by Mike Taylor, was made available to Evertonians via the form here on Tuesday, having previously raised £1,500 through sales on Facebook.
ON SALE NOW - ORDER BILLY THE SPACEMAN AND SUPPORT OUR BLUE FAMILY CAMPAIGN
Mike, who works in Everton’s media and communications team, wrote the story shortly after the arrival of his son Billy in 2018 and initially set out to support Blue Family by selling copies to friends and family via his own social media pages.
However, since the book went on sale through Everton in the Community's fundraising team earlier this week, more than 270 Evertonians have snapped up the 24-page space-themed tale.
"The feedback has been humbling and I’m just delighted to be able to put the book to some good," said Mike. "It was something I wrote out of my comfort zone and, to be honest, I was nervous about what people thought.
"But I saw the brilliant work that is being done by the Everton and Everton in the Community through the Blue Family campaign and thought maybe selling copies could help raise some money for a great cause.
"I'd had a few friends and family ask me about printing copies for them previously so I hoped there would be some interest but I never expected anything like this.
"To everyone who has ordered a copy, I just want to say a huge, huge thank you and hopefully even more people will get behind it and support Blue Family."
Billy The Spaceman tells the story of a young boy who realises his dream of blasting into space after enlisting the help of Elvis, his Siamese cat, to build a rocket.
The pair then set off on an adventure through the solar system, learning fun facts along the way.
"The whole idea stemmed from when my wife, who is a midwife, was pregnant," explained Mike. "She knew about the importance of speaking to the baby whilst being pregnant and encouraged me to do the same. But, as I think many would say, it felt a bit odd.
"I found a good way around that was reading. I bought The Gruffalo and read it to him most days without it feeling strange at all in the end.
"That was something that I could then carry through when he was born. I read to him every day and started reading lots of different children's books.
"Then one day I had the idea of writing one myself, just for Billy. I thought it'd be something nice to look back on and for him to keep.
ON SALE NOW - ORDER BILLY THE SPACEMAN AND SUPPORT OUR BLUE FAMILY CAMPAIGN
"I wrote it over the course of a couple of months, whenever he was asleep, and once I finalised the words, I found an illustrator over the internet who helped with the design.
"I chose space because it was probably the one thing outside of football that really captured my imagination as a kid and I thought perhaps it could be the start of something for him, too."
A 24-page, paperback book with 12 illustrations, Billy The Spaceman is suitable for children of all ages.
Copies are priced at £10 each, with ALL proceeds going to charity.
The cut-off date for orders is Friday 8 May.
To order your copy and help support Everton's Blue Family campaign, click here.
Find out more about the Blue Family campaign and how it is providing vital support and assistance to some of the most vulnerable, socially isolated and at-risk members of the community during the coronavirus pandemic here.
