A 10-year-old boy from Greater Manchester, who is severely sight impaired, is receiving lessons from former EastEnders actor Jack Ryder on his writing so he can become an author.
Shane Plange, who lives in Timperley, has sight loss so severe he uses a cane and reads text in braille.
But the boy, who attends a local school in Greater Manchester, has never given up on his love of reading and writing.
He now hopes, with Jack’s help, to become a published author. His fantasy novel, which he is currently putting together, centres around werewolves, and friends of his have been roped in to help – with some even taking roles as illustrators and proof-readers.
Shane was introduced to Jack through the Greater Manchester-based sight loss charity, Henshaws.
Shane said: “I love stories and I love the help I’m getting from Jack. Hopefully my book will be read by a lot of people.”
Mel Cooke, the Head of Children, Young People and Families at Henshaws, says she was thrilled to have Jack supporting one of their beneficiaries.
“Jack has been fantastic since we approached him to see if he would be interested in doing this,” she says.
“Having spent lots of his time in TV and theatre and now with his own children’s book released, we knew he would be perfect to boost our young people’s confidence and help with their dreams and ambitions. We can’t wait to read what Shane has written.”
Jack played Jamie Mitchell in BBC One soap EastEnders from 1998 until 2002 when his character was killed off in a Christmas Day storyline.
Since then, in addition to releasing his own children’s book, he has had roles in medical drama Casualty as well as the BBC Radio 4 programme, the Archers, as well as starring in theatre productions such as Romeo and Juliet.
Jack said: “I am delighted to be helping Shane with his book. His enthusiasm, dedication and attitude has been amazing, and I am sure he’s going to produce a great novel. Look out for his name in book retailers in the future.”
Young people who are supported by Henshaws and who want to improve or find out more about writing are also being encouraged by best-selling authors Conrad Jones and Ben Andrews. Both have provided support to Shane through online sessions.
You can find out more about Henshaws’s work with those with visual impairments on their website.
