Peter Butler, an 80-year-old man from Wells has written and published the first story from his series of children's books, "The Tales of Gripper the Crab", while living with a terminal bowel cancer diagnosis.

The series is based on Mr. Butler's holiday experiences in Cornwall with his family, where he found inspiration for the characters and themes of his books. His daughters' fascination with the creatures living in rock pools on the beach led to the idea of writing letters from sea creatures to his daughters after their holiday ended.

Mr. Butler's wife Britt would write these letters, which inspired him to write children's books.

Mr. Butler underwent surgery and chemotherapy in 2016 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

During his recovery, he began to consider writing children's books, and The Tales of Gripper the Crab series was born. He expressed his joy in writing the series, saying that he has "taken great delight and a great amount of pleasure in writing what I've done. It's a great thing."

Although the books are intended for children, Mr. Butler aims to convey important messages and lessons through themes such as sea pollution, global warming, and homelessness.

He believes it is vital to teach children that things are not always as they seem in life. "I think even from an early age kids understand and take messages. They understand it and are mesmerised by it," he said.

Mr. Butler has completed all six books in The Tales of Gripper the Crab series, with much of the work taking place in his garden shed converted into a fisherman's hut, complete with fishing nets and a lobster pot.

The profits from his first book, "Heidi's New Home," will be donated to children's cancer charities. He hopes that people of all ages will connect with and identify with his series, and he wants to encourage others who are suffering from cancer.

"Cancer is not the end of life - it can be the beginning of something new, and you've got to look at it that way," he said. "My parents always brought me up to be generous and compassionate and to give back to the world, and that's what I'm doing."