A freelance journalist who has worked for several regional titles is aiming to save parents a fortune by publishing a guidebook to free days out in his area.

Garry Cook has worked as a freelance writer for the Sunday Sun, Newcastle, and as a freelance sub-editor for Lancashire Evening Post, Lancashire Telegraph and Blackpool Gazette.

Now Garry, left, has published a guidebook entitled Free Days Out in Lancashire cataloguing 24 of his family’s favourite venues in the region.

The Ribble Valley dad spent three years documenting days out with family and friends – and then compiled a guidebook of the best places to visit.

Every one of the 24 venues in the book are free, which Garry hopes will make it a must-read for parents looking to entertain their kids over the school holidays.

He said: “Finding things to do with the kids is one of the hardest jobs of being a parent, especially in the summer holidays.

“But the cost of some days out, particularly entrance fees to theme parks, can put a huge strain on the family finances. And after several days out over a few weeks, even the cost of a few hours at a play barn can leave a parent feeling stressed.

“But the reality is you don’t have to spend any money to entertain the kids if you know where to go – and that is where this book helps.

“Lancashire has some of the best parks, playgrounds and countryside in Britain – but it’s easy to forget this in the desperate rush to keep the kids entertained.

“I’ve spent hours searching online for great free days but they can be so hard to find. One of the Lancashire tourism websites lists a cinema in Burnley and a garden centre north of Preston as great family day out.

“When it comes to promoting days out which costs nothing, websites like VisitLancashire do not have the information they should have for users. That means people are missing out on visiting some amazing free locations and venues.

“I felt that I could do better and I have put together what I think is a fantastic list of Lancashire days out.

The book is available on Amazon and Kindle, with the Kindle version also including full-colour photography.

More about the book can be found here.