The life of Welsh footballing legend John Charles - who has a lounge named after him at Aberystwyth Town FC - is celebrated in a new book out now .

‘Gentle Giant: The Incredible Life of John Charles’ by Robert ap Glyn is for young adults brings the incredible story of the footballing hero to a new generation.

“I was inspired to write this because of my lifelong admiration for John Charles,” Robert said.

“I first came to know about him through the stories of my grandfather, Ben Thomas.

“Ben represented Wales and Bolton Wanderers in the 1930s before his footballing career was tragically curtailed by illness and injuries sustained while serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

“My grandfather shared many qualities with John Charles, in both appearance and character, and those who knew him believed that, had fate been kinder, he might one day have played alongside his idol. I’ve dedicated Gentle Giant to Ben, my grandfather.

“Over the course of three years I spoke to people, read everything I could find and immersed myself in his world. Again and again, the same stories emerged. Not just stories about goals and trophies – but stories about the way he treated people. Everyone remembered his humility, his generosity. Everyone remembered how he made them feel. He wasn’t simply admired as a footballer – he was embraced as a person.”

‘Gentle Giant’ is in the style of a novel and written to inspire those aged 11-16 years. Although football provides the backdrop, the story puts kindness, friendship, family, humility and respect centre stage. The book includes illustrations by Mike Miles-Boardman of Visually Speaking.

Robert added: “After working alongside Mike on behalf of the Football Association of Wales as a ‘Cymru Culture Consultant’ on numerous graphic design projects, I knew he was the right illustrator to help tell John Charles’ inspiring story.