A SIDMOUTH author was thrilled and surprised to hear his historical account of the town had earned him countywide praise. John Ankins, 75, of Tyrell Mead, is pictured with his Book of the Year Highly Commended certificate from the Devon History Society fo

A SIDMOUTH author was thrilled and surprised to hear his historical account of the town had earned him countywide praise.John Ankins, 75, of Tyrell Mead, is pictured with his Book of the Year Highly Commended certificate from the Devon History Society for Sidmouth, a history: Jacobs Ladder to the Alma Bridge.The book, priced £11.99 and available from Paragon Books,is the fourth work by the Sidmouth-born former carpenter.He said: "I couldn't believe it when they phoned me up to tell me about the award, I had to ask them to repeat it! I hadn't even heard of the award so it came as a complete surprise, which was lovely".