AN author from Chard has written the eighth book in a series based on a character he created while studying at Holyrood School.

Richard Heddington’s stories about his fictional friend Henry the Hedgegnome were first published 34 years after he introduced the character to his local community in the Chard and Ilminster News as an 18-year-old cartoonist.

He drew his first hedgegnome in an art lesson at Holyrood Comprehensive School, and he told the newspaper in August 1982 that he had created up to 60 different hedgehog/gnome hybrid characters, which have now been brought to life across eight children’s books.

In Richard’s latest story, Henry the Hedgegnome and the poo at the zoo, his protagonist visits his Great Aunt Hogerty to deliver her some gifts while she is staying at a zoo, but his dealings with other animals land him in all sorts of trouble.

Richard, who now lives near Plymouth, was inspired to write the book after hearing that Dartmoor Zoo was raising funds to build a new hedgehog rescue centre, The Prickly Hedge Lodge.

After arranging a meeting with the zoo’s head of fundraising Lynne Hodgson to discuss some ways he could help, Richard decided to work on a story that sees Henry visit Dartmoor Zoo.

Chard & Ilminster News: COVER: This is the eighth book in the Henry the Hedgegnome seriesCOVER: This is the eighth book in the Henry the Hedgegnome series

Within a matter of weeks, Henry the Hedgegnome and the poo at the zoo was complete.

Richard said: “Part of the fun of writing this story was creating the new characters for Henry to meet.

“In all the previous books, Henry had only encountered garden creatures such as Mr Snail and Mr Bee, but I knew instantly that animals like the rude monkey would be a hit with children.”

He added: “During the original meeting at the zoo, I was talking about the hedgehog poo phenomenon, and I explained that anyone who has dealt with hedgehogs will tell you about the amount of poo they produce.

“For such small and loveable creatures, they are certainly very messy.

“It was partly this conversation that made me think it would be funny to see a hedgehog encountering someone else’s poo.”

Signed copies of Henry the Hedgegnome and the poo at the zoo can be ordered from the Henry the Hedgegnome website.

It can also be ordered from Amazon, Wordery, and other bookshops.