A CITY councillor’s foray into the literary world has raised hundreds of pounds for charity.

Mick Haines' first self-published novel, The Merry Go Round of Life, was released in September to raise funds for Cancer Research.

His wife Janice and other friends have died after suffering from the disease and Mr Haines said he felt digging out the story was a perfect way of raising money.

Mr Haines, who has represented Marston on the council since 2012, documents the lives of two Oxford men, Roy and Tony, who live in the city during the 1960s.

Roy, based on Mr Haines, is a bit of a ‘Jack the lad’ and has several casual flings with women, while Tony is married with children.

Independent councillor Mr Haines said: “It was done from my own life. I’m Roy…I had a good run.”

Mr Haines worked as a scaffolder on building sites across Oxford; Roy does too.

The councillor’s project has now raised £300, all of which was donated to Cancer Research in Headington before Christmas.

The Merry Go Round of Life was first written in Fritwell, near Bicester, where Mr Haines lived for part of the 1960s, before moving back to Oxford.

He took the hopeful book to the publishers all those years ago but was told although it was ‘above average’ they would be unable to print it.

Mr Haines said the popularity of the BBC sitcom The Likely Lads and the saucy Confessions films was a reason his story wasn’t published.

But he has now sold 100 copies of the book – printed in Oxford – with some of his readers including Labour city councillors Mary Clarkson, who also represents Marston, deputy leader Linda Smith and former director of the BBC World Service, Nigel Chapman.

Another Oxfordshire councillor will have their debut novel published later this year.

Merilyn Davies represents Freeland and Hanborough on West Oxfordshire District Council as a Labour Co-Operative councillor.

Her first novel, When I Lost You, will be published by Arrow, one of the most successful commercial publishers in the UK.

It is already available to pre-order, ahead of planned publication on August 22.

Arrow has previously published E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, the fastest selling paperback in UK history.

Its other leading authors include James Patterson, Robert Harris and Harlan Coben.