Olympic effort by PR man
A YORKSHIRE-based media and PR consultant is aiming for gold with his new book about the history of the Olympic Games.
Phil Ascough has secured backing from publishing house Bloomsbury and has written The Armchair Olympian, which is available in book shops and online.
The volume is a blend of narrative, trivia, quiz questions and quotes covering the highlights of the Games since the start of the modern Olympics in 1896.
It is Mr Ascough’s second book in his own name and under the Bloomsbury banner. Kissing The Badge looks at the 20 years history of the Premier League.
Mr Ascough said: “They were both holiday projects that came along at exactly the right time.
“I was given about a month to write each of them, so it was handy that I was able to get stuck into most of the research and writing for Kissing The Badge over Easter last year, when the combination of school holidays and royal wedding led to reduced demand for business media and PR services.
“Much of the research and writing for The Armchair Olympian was wrapped up during the summer holidays, another time when business clients were not at their most active.”
Both titles are expertly illustrated by Beach, whose other works include Cricki Leaks: The Secret Ashes Diaries.
“Feedback from readers and clients has been very encouraging,” said Mr Ascough, who is based in East Yorkshire and is a non-executive director of the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Ascough said the book deal had helped him to form a partnership with former Press Association colleagues Simon Redfern and Rory Squires under the Squires Media banner to provide Olympics content for the broadcaster Eurosport, and the trio are exploring other opportunities.
