Designer and director Rob Ingle wrote and illustrated a book for his daughter which he gave to her this year. Before he knew it, he’d generated a fair bit of interest with other parents and raised money for First Touch, and hopes to raise more. Over to Rob for the full story...

Star Knight started out as an idea which just popped into my head one day. My daughter, Audrey, was two years old and I wanted to make a picture book for her. I enjoy writing and drawing so it seemed like a good project with which to combine the two.

I wrote the name down and looked at it. A vivid picture came to me of this little fellow walking along beneath a star filled sky through rustling grass. But where was he going? Over the course of a few hours one Sunday afternoon the story came to life. He was a Knight so of course he had to be on a quest! But he was a kind of 'space knight' so he was looking for a rocket...

I wanted to create some engaging characters who would make Audrey laugh and tell a simple little story that she could follow, but that would not turn out quite as she might expect. Illustrating the story was slightly more problematic (and a far lengthier process) than writing it. After a few false starts, during which I discovered I'd forgotten how to use paints and was far too much of a perfectionist, I finally struck upon a style I could roll out across the book and that would give the colourful, bold finish I wanted.
 

I originally aimed to give the book to her on her third Christmas but overshot by a whole year! With hindsight this was perfect because by then she was old enough to appreciate it; I'll never forget her reaction or the huge hug she gave me when she opened it and realised it was made especially for her.

Then my wife posted some pictures on Facebook and we were immediately bombarded with requests for a copy from friends and family. I ordered a run of 50 which turned out to only just be enough! After printing costs, we raised £350 for First Touch, which is fantastic considering I only really intended this to be a little private project for Audrey. She spent two months in the Neo Natal unit of St George's Hospital when she was born so we're delighted we've been able to help a little.

Sarah Collins, Charity Director at First Touch has told me they're going to use the money to fund copies of 'Guess How Much I Love You' for the Journey Boxes for families in their Intensive Care Units and High Dependency Units. The idea is that the parents can then read to their baby at the incubator/cot side. Due to infection control they have to have individual books for each baby in the nurseries. I'm really pleased we've been able to help with this!

Since then, several more people have asked for copies, so if I can get at least 20 to 30 orders, then another print run will become viable. I've set the price at £12 £4 p&p (it's just too big for large letter, darn it!), so if anyone is interested they can contact me at rob_ingle@hotmail.com, subject heading 'First Touch book order'. Please include your address and/or the names and addresses of whoever you'd like to receive the book. There’s a Facebook page as well.