A COUNTY DURHAM author has written a children's Christmas book to raise money for the NSPCC.

Steven Corner, 44, from Ferryhill, hopes to raise £500 for the children's charity by December with sales of his book The Child Who Saved Christmas.

The book, which has already raised £100, tells the story of a Nordic tree god, who seeks the magical powers of Santa Claus.

The aim of Mr Corner's self-published book is to get children back into reading paperbacks instead of online versions.

He said: “You only appreciate the cover of a book, if you are holding it in your hands. A lot of work goes into the front cover to not only sell the book, but to want to interact with it.”

Mr Corner, an engineering tutor at Darlington College, has already written two other books, The Whispering Pegasus and A Dream from the Somme.

Both of these are available to read in libraries around County Durham.

He is now working on his next yarn, a true story about a climbing accident.

He hopes to work with a mountain climbing charity on this, as well as mountaineer Alan Hinkes.

The Christmas story is his first book for the NSPCC and Mr Corner hopes to be working with other charities in the future.

Each of the characters are based on real life people who have influenced his life, which Mr Corner said adds a personal touch to the book itself.

It is available on Amazon for £4.99 and is also available to read in libraries across County Durham.

He is soon to be setting up other websites for external donations.