THERE were queues out of the door at Chard BookShop as former MP Paddy Ashdown came to town for a book signing event.

Signed copies of his latest book, Game of Spies, were being sold on Saturday, from 11am until noon, at the shop in Pig Lane.

Les Gilbert, owner of Chard BookShop, said: “The book signing went extremely well. It exceeded our expectations and those of Lord Ashdown, who was with us for just over an hour.

“So much so, he has recommended us to his publishers as a possible stop for other authors on book signing tours.

“In that time we sold more than 30 of his books.

“He has kindly signed others which we still have available to sell to those that were unable to make the event.

“We hope to arrange similar events in the future and would express our thanks to Lord Ashdown for signing books in our store and the many customers that came in to support us.”

Cllr Amanda Broom is a member of the Liberal Democrats and works at Chard BookShop.

She said: “It was incredibly busy. By 10.55am we had a queue of people going outside the shop. He was here for the whole hour.

“As a member of the Liberal Democrats I have worked with Paddy quite a lot and when he found out that I work with the Chard BookShop he offered to hold the book signing here.”

While in Chard, Mr Ashdown visited Chard’s oldest member of the Liberal Democrats, 95-year-old Joan Walsham. He helped to deliver Cllr Broom’s first county council literature for Chard North to the lifelong Lib Dem.