Tim Futter

Tim Futter was born and brought up in Cambridge living above a shoe repairer’s shop. He attended Cambridge Grammar School for boys. As a small child he accompanied his father (a shoe repairer) on visits to Fred Overhill’s shoe repair shop on Hills Rd, Cambridge where he overheard the old shoe repairers recounting stories from their past. Fred was of course the inspiration for his Brother Jack’s novel – ‘The Snob’ – (slang word for shoe repairer).

As Tim grew older it was with great pleasure that he found ‘Old Mr Fred’s’ story in that wonderful novel. He studied A-levels at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology (inc. English Literature), but never found enough literature about the English working classes. After going into the world to seek his fortune, Tim ended up studying English and American Literature at the U.E.A. in Norwich. Whilst there he wrote short stories about the next generation of shoe repairers during WWII. He wrote these to amuse his fellow students and copies of them were Xeroxed and turned up all over the campus. The Creative Writing students urged him to ‘jump ship’ and join them, but Tim never did.

When he returned to Cambridge three years ago he wrote a few pieces for FLACK – a magazine for the homeless. Emboldened by seeing his work in print he started his MA in Creative Writing at his old Alma Mater – now Anglia Ruskin – which he will complete next year. The faculty e-mail students details of literary competitions which Tim never entered until he came across this one held by Askance in aid of a homeless charity. So Tim is back where he was as a teenager, although now he is a 55 year old teenager.