Respected author and newspaper feature writer Patrick Barkham will be the guest at this year’s Author’s Breakfast, organised by the Isle of Man Fund for the Blind.

He has written extensively on natural history, for titles including the Guardian and The Times, and is the author of successful books including The Butterfly Isles, Badgerlands and Coastlines.

He has been shortlisted for prestigious awards including the Ondaatje Prize and the Wainwright Prize.

During the Author’s Breakfast, at the Mount Murray Golf Club on 27th November, Patrick will be talking about his latest book, Island – A Journey Around Our Archipelago.

In the vividly observed book, Patrick explores landscapes around the British Isles, including the Isle of Man, as he travels to ever-smaller islands in search of their special magic. He examines traditions and culture, meeting all kinds of islanders, from nuns to puffins, and discovering everything from local legends to rare subspecies of vole. The book seeks to discover what it is like to live on a small island, and what it means to be an islander.

The book will be available to purchase at the breakfast, courtesy of the Lexicon Bookshop.

Manx Blind Welfare Society Volunteers Coordinator and Events Organiser Debbie Thomson said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to welcome Patrick Barkham to this year’s Author’s Breakfast. He is a highly respected and widely read writer whose books have attracted critical acclaim.

‘The Author’s Breakfast is always one of the highlights of the year and we expect this year to be as popular as ever, so we’d advise booking tickets early to avoid disappointment.

‘I’d like to thank the Isle of Man Fund for the Blind for organising this event, which will help raise important funds to allow the Society to continue providing services and support to blind and visually impaired people in the Island. The Fund works tirelessly on a huge range of fundraising events and its support is invaluable.’

Tickets for the Author’s Breakfast, which cost ?25 including a full English breakfast, are available from Corrin Court in Onchan or by calling 674727.

To find out more about the work of MBWS visit www.mbws.org.im.