Chris Aspin is a retired journalist with a lifelong interest in local history and the early cotton industry in particular. John Simpson has written a number of books on the history of the area and is archivist for Helmshore Local History Society. Both authors live in Helmshore.John Simpson was born and brought up in Rossendale, where he still lives. He is a graduate of the University of Durham and works in the local studies department of a small town library. He has written a number of books on the history of the area and is archivist for Helmshore Local History Society.