Charlie Owen

It is the Seventies and Horse’s Arse is the affectionate name for Handstead New Town, a North Manchester overspill and an unholy dump. The police use it as a penal posting – all the bad egg coppers end up there. Worst amongst the residents of Handstead are the Park Royal Mafia, a gang of violent thugs who terrorise their neighbourhood. They and the officers doomed to serve at Handstead wrestle constantly for dominance. This is the story of some of those police officers - the Grim Brothers, Psycho, Pizza, Piggy Malone and others, a group of hooligans in uniform and their journey through excess, despair and finally some form of salvation...

Horse's Arse

It is the Seventies and Horse's Arse is the affectionate name for Handstead New Town, a North Manchester overspill and an unholy dump. The police use it as a penal posting - all the bad egg coppers end up there. Worst amongst the residents of Handstead are the Park Royal Mafia, a gang of violent thugs who terrorise their neighbourhood. They and the officers doomed to serve at Handstead wrestle constantly for dominance. This is the story of some of those police officers - the Grim Brothers, Psycho, Pizza, Piggy Malone and others, a group of hooligans in uniform and their journey through excess, despair and finally some form of salvation...

Claire Cameron

Peter Moss

Hightly Commended ( Third prize) in the Standing Conference on Studies in Education book prize for books published in 1999. `It was a breath of fresh air to see 'contentious' issues dealt with in an enlightened and informative way. We are certain it will move the debate on years!' - Chrissie Meleady, Sheffield Childrens' Centre `Looks most interesting and will certainly be very useful' - Bronwen Cohen, Director, Children in Scotland `It's a challenging and exciting book and I hope it is widely used' - Margy Whalley, Director, Pen Green Research, Development and Training Base, Pen Green Centre for Under 5's and Their Families

Gender and Caring Work

Men in the Nursery

It's 1976 and England is sweating its nuts off. As an unrelenting heat wave beats down on the nation, the residents of Horse's Arse - aka Handstead New Town, north Manchester - are reaching melting point. The Park Royal Mafia, having recovered from the loss of its senior members, is under new management and open for the business of mindless violence again. Unfortunately their antics have attracted the attention of a psychotic Turkish gangster, who's decided the Mafia is just what he needs to pull himself to the top of the criminal heap. And wading into the middle of it are the Grim Brothers, Psycho, Pizza, Ally - Horse's Arse's finest and the hardestboiled coppers you'll ever meet. With this lot hot under the collar it's all going to end in blood, (a lot of) sweat and tears.

Charlie Owen

Books

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