IT is hard to believe that this year will mark the 10th anniversary of the terrible accident at Alton Towers in which one of our local lasses, only a teenager, Leah Washington lost her leg when ‘The Smiler’ ride crashed.

She was ‘lucky’ – though an odd use of the word, I grant you – that she didn’t lose her life.

I imagine at the time she felt anything but that. Her boyfriend at the time, Joe Pugh – now her husband – also suffered extensive injuries.

I have watched this remarkable young couple over the years and rather than fold under the damage, they have embraced their change of life and not let it defeat them, in fact they have risen far above the tragedy.

I know over the years they have raised money for the Air Ambulance and Limbo charities who helped them, as a thank you, and on June 7, they are holding a wonderful charity ball at the Metrodome for the same causes.

The tickets are £40 and include a three course dinner, welcome drink, live entertainment, a DJ, raffle, silent auction, which is pretty good value I’d say.

They want to fill the place of course, so if you think you’d like to go, please get in touch with Leah Washington-Pugh on Facebook or email charityball@mail.com.

The tickets are selling fast and we all need something good to look forward to when the weather decides to eventually warm up. Where’s global warming when you need it?

The Barnsley Book Festival is now in full swing and there’s less than a week to go before my new book is out.

If you preorder it from the Book Vault on Market Street, you’ll get a lovely bundle of gifts to go with it because I like to look after my local folk. Or I’ll be signing next Saturday, March 1 from 10.15am to noon in store in person.

Then onto Meadowhall for 1pm. It’s always a wonderful time but I’ve never quite forgotten one year there when I’d signed 49 books there and was joking with the manager that it was a shame it wasn’t a nice round 50.

My signing time was up and I was just looking at books behind me while I was waiting for someone to get my coat from the back, when the manager alerted me to a late arrival.

I greeted her warmly and told her how happy I was that she had helped me make the big 5-0. I sent her off to the till happy – or so I thought – after a jolly interchange. Back home, someone alerted me to a woman slagging me off on Facebook.

I was rude apparently. I’d totally ignored number 50 and continued talking to the manager of the shop while she was standing there. I could have let it lie, but it really upset me because I love signings, love meeting my readers.

So I got in touch and asked her how I’d been rude? Didn’t we have a lovely chat when I knew she was there and didn’t I say sorry that I wasn’t sure if she wanted a book or not as she was standing away from the table?

Didn’t I say how glad I was that she’d helped me sell number 50? Yes that’s right. She agreed. So now I’m totally confused… ‘What did I do to upset you?’ I asked. The answer: ‘I dunno, I just wanted more.’

At which point I gave up. I still don’t know if I was supposed to burst into song or do a series of flick-flack tumbles across Waterstones’ carpet.

But that one incident is still big in my head. It’s a good job she hasn’t met a lot of the miserable sods I’ve queued up for to get their books signed. Ironically – mostly comedians.