A FORMER nurse at the Royal Bolton Hospital used her experience in the profession to write a book about the lives of young cadets embarking on their careers in the health service.

Home from Home, written by Cath Cole, documents the lives of five student nurses in the 1960s — in a story that is not too dissimilar to its author's own life.

Set in the fictional town of Farnton — a mix of Farnworth and Bolton — the story follows the lives of Theresa, Maggie, Jenny, Sarah and Chris as they start their nurse training at The School of Nursing at Farnton General.

It mirrors Mrs Cole's own life when she started at the Bolton Royal Hospital, as a 16-year-old fresh-faced junior nurse in 1964, and attended the school of nursing to study.

Mrs Cole, who grew up in Stoneclough and Prestolee and also worked in further education, wrote the true-to-life tale after retiring as a college principle and completing a creative writing degree.

Mrs Cole, aged 67, said: "It isn't a memoir or an autobiography, but it is loosely based on my experience.

"I started working as a cadet in September 1964 aged 16. I did 20 months then did my qualifications in 1969 and went on to do regular general nursing.

"It was something I always wanted to do from being a little girl aged seven.

"People said to me, 'what do you want to be when you grow up?'

"I always said I wanted to be a nurse. I don't know where it came from, although I did enjoy reading a series of girls' books about nurses called Sue Barton and growing up I would always watch programmes like Emergency — Ward 10.

"My grandmother was a nurse and I know my mother always wanted to be one. So I suppose it was in the blood."

Mrs Cole became a health visitor and nursing tutor, which then led her into a career in education and working with young people with disabilities.

She said: "I started as a lecturer of health and social care in Bury College and kept getting promoted. I became vice principle after seven years and then went on to be principle at a college in Coventry, where I received my OBE."

Mrs Cole, who lives in Chorley with her husband Ron, aged 71, received her honour from the Queen in 2004 for contributions to the education of young people with disabilities.

After retirement in 2008 she pursued her love of creative writing by completing a short course and doing a master's degree, where she formed the idea for her story, which was later picked up by a publisher.

She said: "As a debut author with no connections to the literary world, it is unbelievable to be picked up by a publisher at my age. I still can't believe it — it's beyond belief."

Home from Home is available now from Amazon through Corazon Books.