Marking 100 years of Northumberland firm with a collection of stories and poems

Richard Mason holding the new book. Picture by Susan Barwood.

T Mason & Son, a ground works and agriculture business, was founded by Richard Mason’s great grandfather in 1922 in Thropton.

Richard decided that some recognition should be made of his family firm’s achievements and with this in mind, he has put together a 60-page book that includes tales told to him by his father, Tom.

‘Where Ragged Rascals Ran’ contains a mixture of local dialect poetry by Richard and Allan Wood, numerous anecdotes of hilarious hi-jinks (some not always legal) and plenty of illustrations and photographs, both old and new.

Richard said: “Throughout my life, my dad has regaled me with stories about the adventures he and his pals got up to over the years, so some time ago I thought it would be good to get these stories put together.

“It has been a quite a lark talking to Tom’s old friends, whittling photos out of them, and writing some of my own dialect poetry to add to the book.

“It’s been a great way to celebrate the centenary of our family firm and I hope that dad and many of his friends in the (Coquet) Valley will enjoy this collection.”

From Monday, March 14, ‘Where Ragged Rascals Ran’ will be available from Soulsby toy shop, Front Street, and Newton Engineering, Garleigh Road, both in Rothbury, at £8 per copy.

Alternatively, you can contact the author of the book by email – [email protected]