A LINTHWAITE man has created a touching tribute to his late grandparents – after discovering their poetry talents long after they were gone.

Martin Rothery, 35, was so moved by a pile of poems he found while clearing the home of Frank and Jessie Littlewood, he decided to publish them in a book.

The Oakes couple – who were married for more than 65 years – never wanted to share their work with their loved ones while they were living.

Frank, a former mill manager, died in 2010 at the age of 93. His death came just a year after Jessie passed away in 2009, aged 91.

Their step-grandson Martin – a poetry writer himself – was thrilled when his stepfather Charles unearthed the poems at their home on Wheatfield Avenue.

"It was quite touching when I found them,’’ he said. "One or two of them brought a lump to my throat.

"They are certainly a reflection of their lives together.

"I thought these are too good to keep all to myself. I wanted everyone in my family to have a copy.

"I wanted to share their work as a legacy. They are too good just to put in a file. It is my way of remembering them."

The poems offer a insight into the couple’s life together, including a poem written by Frank about how they met as teenagers at a church carol service.

"The one I really love is one my grandad wrote about meeting my grandma," said Martin.

"It is quite a romantic poem and tells the story about how she shared her hymn book with him.

"He also wrote a really comical piece about her shopping habits.

"They reflect their personalities very much and I can hear their voices in them. The book is them in writing."

Martin typed the poems up and sent them off to Dearnside Press, Scissett, for publishing.

Then, in another twist of fate, he received a phonecall.

"It was someone called Chris Gaunt who ran the company asking me if I had sent the poems as a joke," said Martin.

"It turns out I had sent the book to my stepdad’s cousin, without even realising, and they were his Uncle Frank and Auntie Jess."

Chris kindly offered to print the book – called Nonagenarians – for free.

Martin decided he would donate all proceeds from the book – around £130 to date – to the luncheon club his grandparents supported at Parkwood Methodist Church, Longwood.

Martin added: "If they were still alive, I think they would have been a bit embarrassed, but I know they would have been chuffed to bits."

Read one of the poems on the next page.