August 5, 2022 6.00 am This story is over 19 months old

‘Dragons of Doggerland’: Lincoln woman to launch her first children’s book

“Doggerland was a real place!”
Mary Edwards-Porter's first children's book, 'Dragons of Doggerland' is being launched on August 13 & 14 at Gibraltar Point, Skegness. | Photo: Mary Edwards-Porter

A Lincoln woman has taken her first foray into children’s fiction with her book ‘Dragons of Doggerland’, which will launch later in the month.

Mary Edwards-Porter will be at the Old Coastguard Nature Centre at Gibraltar Point, on Saturday August 13 and Sunday 14.

Mary, from Bardney near Lincoln, says she is well known as a nature conservationist, writer, speaker and broadcaster.

The story follows the adventures of a family of friendly dragons and one human boy and his dog, as they are swept away from their homes by a catastrophic flood in Doggerland, around 7,000 years ago.

It is aimed at children from around six years old and upwards.

“Doggerland was a real place,” enthuses Mary, “in fact it is still there, submerged around 7,000 years ago. Rising sea levels and a tsunami off the coast of Norway drowned what had been a lush, temperate place, joining the UK to Europe and Scandinavia.

“You could have walked to Denmark from Skegness if you wanted to! I had always known about Dogger Bank, from hearing it on the shipping forecast.

“It is all that remains of the hills of Doggerland. When I discovered that evidence of hunter-gatherers and animals such as mammoths, had been found on the seabed, I was captivated! My imagination ran a bit wild!

“It’s funny how nobody has ever mentioned Dogger dragons before, so I wanted to tell their story! They are not your usual fearsome dragons found in story books.

“In fact, they look a lot like giant newts, for reasons which will be revealed in book three of the “Dragons of Doggerland Chronicles”. You’ll have to wait until 2023 for the answer to that!”

“The book will also be on sale at the Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre, and after this weekend, at various bookshops around the country and online. Book two, “Escape from Doggerland” is in production. I’m hoping to get it out in time for the Christmas holidays.”