Tue 22 Dec. 2020

MATT CASS.. Raising money for the NHS.. A comedic diary during the 1st 100 days of lockdown

A Gloucester insurance broker has published his lockdown diary to raise funds for local NHS charities.

Matt Cass, a Director of Cass-Stephens Insurances in Barnwood, has put his tongue-in-cheek postings from Facebook, which he kept up for 100 days during the first lockdown, into a paperback and e-book which is now available on Amazon. He hopes it will become a popular stocking filler in the run-up to Christmas.

The book, which is based on a “Zombie Apocalypse”, tells of his struggles to maintain sanity while homeschooling the children, not being able to go out except for daily exercise and living in fear of running out of toilet paper!

Matt explains in his introduction to the book, “I've always been a bit of a joker and liked to entertain my family and friends. When I used up the toilet roll in the downstairs toilet right at the start of lockdown and the height of the panic buying, I thought it was a perfect time to post something funny on social media.

“What started off as a bit of fun to hopefully put a smile on people's faces during what looked like a decidedly depressing period turned into a mammoth 100-day diary with people tuning in every day to see what I would put next.

“When my friend Paul and I had finished a charity run and were enjoying our first pint in a pub (post lockdown) I mentioned that I would love to write a book. He pointed out I already had in my lockdown diary. I just needed to get it online.”

Matt, 47, lives in Longford and was the President of the Rotary Club of Gloucester during the lockdown. The e-book costs £3.99, with the paperback selling for £19.99. All royalties will go to the Cheltenham and Gloucester NHS Charity. The book is available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08P52ZFKN

Simon McGill