Paperback version of The Legend of Morvidus Continues…. The Bears’ Family released

Following the digital release earlier this year, a new children’s book illustrated by Warwickshire County Cricket Club Men’s First Team Coach Jim Troughton is now available to purchase in paperback.

Written by local author and chair of the Edgbaston Foundation charity Rachael Wong, the paperback version of The Legend of Morvidus Continues…. The Bears’ Family is now available to purchase online through Store 94 at Edgbaston, priced at £4.95.

All funds raised from the book sales will subsequently be donated to the Edgbaston Foundation to support its combined fundraising for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and the NSPCC’s Childline service in Birmingham. Nearly £10,000 has already been raised already through the efforts of Warwickshire and Edgbaston staff completing the 2.6 Challenge, from the sales of an NHS-inspired charity t-shirt designed by Jim Troughton and through a cricket-wide charity auction.

Jim Troughton said: “Our second book in the Lord Morvidus series is something that Rachael and I worked on in the early stages of lockdown to provide our young Bears fans, and their parents, with a fun cricket-inspired story which gave some light relief at home.

“We thoroughly enjoyed creating a follow-up to our original Morvidus book from five years ago. It’s great that we now have a paperback version of the book, which can complement the excellent fundraising initiatives which Club staff have generated for these two charities since the COVID outbreak.”

The Legend of Morvidus Continues…. The Bears’ Family has been released as a follow-up to the first tale, The Legend of Morvidus: The Bear, the Bat and the Ragged Staff, which Troughton and Wong had published in 2015.

The book follows the fortunes of cricket-mad youngster Alex, who is inspired by the brave Lord Morvidus of Warwickshire and the family values and bonds that he develops after a mishap in a game of turnip ball with his sister.

Rachael Wong said: “Whereas our previous book focused on the legend of the ragged staff, this book gave us the opportunity to explore the timeless values of The Bear; looking after each other, taking responsibility and being part of a wider family.

“The story references lockdown from a child’s perspective and is dedicated to the NHS, so it is very much a book for our times.

“Special thanks go to Jim for the many hours that he dedicated to the project during lockdown to produce such excellent illustrations, demonstrating again his commitment to the Bears on and off the pitch.

“We hope it not only raises lots of money for great charities but also provides a lasting reminder on children’s bookshelves of The Bears’ values that have served us so well in 2020.”

Purchase a copy of The Legend of Morvidus Continues…. The Bears’ Family here.