SURVIVOR of an horrific stabbing last year, Paddy Mayglothling has turned his near-death experience into a creative endeavour which has just received its official launch in Hereford.

Out of a terrifying knife attack which left Kington-born Paddy, who now lives in Hereford, battling for his life has come a photographic study of city centre life seen through the 60-year-old's lens.

Batches of Hereford Bench Life, a project produced entirely by the author, have come hot off the press, and are now available to buy at various city outlets for just £2.

Many of the subjects of Paddy's informal photographic shots came along to see the book unveiled at a ceremony in Yates' bar in Commercial Road. There were congratulations all round for the fedora-hatted maverick, well-known in Hereford and his home town for his lively sense of humour.

The front cover of his book is a series of thumbnail sketches of his subjects, all produced by him, and he alone trawled the town selling advertising to support the project. Paddy produced the graphic design, and added his own witty descriptions alongside each picture.

In the book he thanks his sponsors and all his "crew" - Roland Bufton, James Farrell and Maylene Roberts.

Shaking his hand at the book launch, Harold Lord from Hereford praised Paddy's achievement. "I told him I'd believe it when I saw it, and he's done it!" Proprietor of M Black & Sons, Hereford's original jeans' store, Les Black, who is featured in the book, was impressed that Paddy's camera had captured "real people". One man, attired in evening dress with a diamanté salamander on his lapel said he was photographed on his way to a funeral.

The broad selection of subjects, featuring shoppers, business people and shop assistants all taking time out on a city centre bench, begins with a colour photograph of the Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Jim Kenyon. Among them, Gary Meredith said he once worked with Paddy on a scaffolding job. "He's quite funny, he kept all his workmates laughing," he said.

Paddy claims his book will be a main talking point, taking the heat off the American president. "It'll take the pressure off Donald Trump for a while," he said confidently.