A cancer charity has benefitted from sales of a book of memoirs about Coleraine’s Heights area written by a former postman.
Robert Ramsey spent three years compiling ‘A Boy from the Heights’ which charts, not only his life story, but the social history of the Heights area of Coleraine where he was born and reared.
A stalwart of Coleraine’s panto group The Provincial Players for more than 30 years, Robert said: “I always thought I’d like to write a book, I had written scripts for the panto but wondered could I actually write a book? I have always kept scrapbooks since I was a child so they have provided all the background to the book.
"It’s not an autobiography, it’s more of a history book and looks at five different areas – family, football, Royal Mail, comedy and Articlave band.”
Well-known as part of the comedy act Ram and Mac and as a compere for countless charity concerts, fashion shows and events, Robert admits that it was the comedy section which took longest to write.
"My first intro to comedy was in 1983 when I played Ivan the Terrible and a comic soldier with Ballymoney Choral Society. That’s what started it all and it was there that I met my mentor Sean Magee who brought me into the panto.
"My first role with them was playing Wishee Washee along with Seamus Reynolds and then I stayed for 31 years producing it, writing it, acting in it – once the performing bug bites you, that’s it.”
Launching the book in November 2023, Robert hoped that it would appeal to the hundreds of people he had met through the years thanks to pantomime, comedy and his career with Royal Mail, particularly delivering post to the village of Castlerock for 27 years.
Robert also pledged that £2 from the sale of each back would be donated to Cancer Research.
Now, one year on, the Coleraine man met with Lisa Bailey from Cancer Research to present the charity with a cheque.
Robert said: “The sale of the book has been exceptional to the point where I am now able to donate a four figure sum to my designated charity, Cancer Research, on behalf of myself and the peple who helped me in the sale of this book.”