Marvellous: Neil Baldwin- My Story

Marvellous: Neil Baldwin - My Story

Bishops and archbishops, top footballers, leading politicians and actors ... they all count him as a friend. He has met most of the royal family. He is a freeman of the City of Stoke-on-Trent and his home town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and has his very own football club. BBC 2 made an award-winning TV film about him, in which he was played by Toby Jones. But who is Neil Baldwin?

When he was growing up in a working-class area of the Potteries in the fifties and sixties, the education system wrote Neil 'Nello' Baldwin off. But Neil, who believes you can just 'get things by asking for them' knows his late Mum wanted him to have a happy life, and it's his duty to her to have one. So he does, and continues to defy expectations to do things that would have made her so proud.

Keele University holds regular celebrations and services for the decades Neil has been a friend to the students, academics and vice-chancellors; but he's never been a student, a teacher, or had any formal connection with the place. (Well, apart from the honorary degree they awarded him ...)

At Stoke City Football Club, he's 'more famous than the players'. Lou Macari, the club's then manager, took him on as kit man and described him as 'my best-ever signing'.

This is the inspiring, moving and at times hysterically funny story of Nello Baldwin's marvellous life. Many books are described as 'inspirational', but Neil's story of optimism, persistence and simple humanity is at once touching, uplifting and life-affirming.

• Print length - 274 pages
• Language - English
• Paperback
• Book measurements:
  • Height - 19.8cm
  • Length - 13cm
  • Width - 1.8cm

Product code: 2300448