I am a qualified English & Drama Teacher who, 7 years ago, took a career break to follow a dream to write and illustrate a series of children's stories about an Airedale Terrier called Ruffle and his adventures on a steam railway. The series now has 14 titles, with 4 bespoke books written especially for local and national charities, which include rhyming stories and a WW1 themed tale written to commemorate the ending of WW1. I also wrote a series of Ruffle short stories over 4 years that have appeared in local magazines. Using my teaching experience and that of running drama-based workshops for Curve Theatre, Leicester, I adapted some of the stories into short assembly performances using puppets and props, many of which I have made. Ruffle has visited over 120 schools, adult social groups including dementia and Mencap, and care homes - an incredible journey in a short space of time!