AFTER more than 50 years writing and performing witty monologues, 70-year-old Margaret Dignum has had a book of her work published.

Margaret, who has lived in Winsford all her life, has collected 60 of her favourite pieces to produce 'A Whiff of Fresh Air - A Collection of Humorous Cheshire Monologues'.

The book, published with a CD, will be launched at the Community Arts Centre, Dene Drive, Winsford this Friday, December 1, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

And on Saturday, December 2, Margaret will be signing copies of her book at W H Smith in Northwich between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Publisher Anne Loader of Leonie Press said: "When we first read Margaret's monologues we knew we had found someone very special.

"She has a wonderfully surreal imagination and an impish sense of humour. The mental pictures she paints are hilarious and each one has a twist in the tail.

"They are easy listening or reading, but the simple format hides a great deal of skill."

Margaret started writing monologues when she was 16 and over the years has grown enormously in popularity. She read her monologues on Radio Stoke for five years, speaks at 40 functions a year and still finds time to fit in singing with Vale Royal Amateur Operatic Society.

All the monologues are written in "Cheshire" dialect and they cover all sorts of topics from the practical to the whimsical including washdays, mobile phones, slimming, dental appointments and even the usefulness of eyebrows.

"They are about the everyday things that people can associate with," said Margaret.

The book, illustrated by Hartford artist Patricia Kelsall, is available in bookshops from Saturday at £9.99.