A HEREFORD bookseller is among those who have generously waived their commission on sales of an illustrated children's book to help the fundraising efforts of its author.

Duncan Cooper of The Children's Bookshelf is promoting The Fairy Who Lived in a Pop Can, on which author Suzan Ruben-Alderton collaborated with two young illustrators Polly Allburn and Naomi Bennet from Cardiff Metropolitan Art University.

Suzan and her husband Michael have fundraised for many years for the Living with Dementia Society in their home town of Crickhowell, but when they met a child with Batten Disease, a life-limiting condition that leads to loss of sight and dementia, they were determined to do more.

Mike Alderton, Suzan Ruben-Alderton, Polly Allburn & Naomi Bennet

Mike Alderton, Suzan Ruben-Alderton, Polly Allburn & Naomi Bennet

Though Suzan admits that she began the book, featuring a little girl called Betty and a quirky fairy called Flo, as a bit of fun for herself, she quickly realised that it might help with fundraising. "I started writing the book for fun and then thought maybe we could earn some money out of it," says Suzan, who published the book herself.

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"Originally, the proceeds were going to go to Young Lives vs Cancer, but when we met the little girl with Batten Disease we were so shocked that someone so young was affected by dementia, we decided to share what was raised with the Batten Disease Family Association (BDFA)."

So far, the book, launched at Book-ish in Crickhowell last month – has raised more than £1,000 for the charities, with every bookshop stocking it waiving their commission, the illustrators were not paid a penny – "not even a cup of coffee" says Suzan – and publicist Tim Jones as AsYouSeeIt Media is working on the book's behalf for free.

The Fairy Who Lived in A Pop Can is available from The Children's Bookshelf in Gomond Street in Hereford, and from book-ish.co.uk, with all profits going to the two charities.