Tony Ward was born in the blitzed city of Coventry in 1944. ‘More than just memories’ is his second book. Published regularly in various poetry magazines in his youth, he then enjoyed a successful career in computing and education. This included a BBC commission and a leading role in introducing computer education into schools.

Upon retirement he resumed his writing. For several years he contributed an innovative monthly Poetry+ feature to Sussex Life magazine. This combined his poetry with two other interests, local history and puzzle solving – ‘giving history a new twist and poetry a new purpose’. His subsequent book ‘Unravelling Sussex: Around the County in Riddles’ was based on the series.

However, his wife’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease led to a change of direction. His focus since has been on raising awareness of this cruel disease. He won a National Memory Day Poetry Prize and has written regularly for the Alzheimer’s Society social media, providing support to dementia sufferers and their families, particularly during pandemic lockdowns. The couple also contributed an illustrated feature to the 2021 Telegraph Christmas appeal for the Society and were the subject of a BAFTA finalist documentary film which closed with Tony’s reading of ‘Farewell Tour’.

Other recent writing has included a trilogy of short picture books for young children and a continuing series of short-story memoirs, ‘Does it have a roof: Tales from Church Cottage’.

Tony donates his royalties from ‘Unravelling Sussex’ to St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Eastbourne, and those from ‘More than just memories’ to the Alzheimer’s Society.

His wife now being in a residential care home, he is kept in order by his Border Collie/Labrador sheepdog rescued from Moldova.