An entertaining book, In a Matter of Words, has been penned by a group of writers in Sherborne, The Scribblers, and has hit the shelves to raise money for the recently converted Tin Chapel.

The Scribblers of Sherborne formed almost a decade ago for like-minded amateur writers to meet regularly to share ideas and skills. The 12-strong group is made up of mainly retirees whose diverse backgrounds fuel original and entertaining story telling.

Over the years, the group has written themed assignments, one being selected each month for publication in The Sherborne Times.

And the Scribblers kept writing these assignments during the pandemic. For a few, this was the extent of their literary output whilst some, already published authors, battled to finish work formerly consigned to a pending tray, including novels and other genres.

Former chairman Mark Milbank said: “Having reached the stage where, at a rough estimate, The Scribblers had written more than 1,000 stories, the initiative was taken to produce a volume of their collective work. Still in the time of the third lockdown, this was collated by a team of three via Zoom meetings and email, the group being unable to meet at their usual venue, The Studio Theatre, courtesy of The Amateur Players of Sherborne.

Spawned as the threat of the virus diminished, the group did much to keep one another sane during the isolation of the pandemic, appreciating how picking up a pen and starting to scribble had a cathartic effect even in the most challenging of times.”

In A Matter of Words is 160 pages, boasting 45 of the group’s best stories sprinkled with a few poems and is available from Winstone’s Book Shop, Cheap Street, Sherborne priced at £9.99.