Mike Padgett

Mike Padgett is from a mining family and had a wonderful time growing up on a council estate in Barnsley. His early claim to fame was playing the good footballer in the film Kes where he had the cheek to tell Mr Sugden (Brian Glover) that Denis Law was a better player than Bobby Charlton.

After completing his apprenticeship as a gas fitter Mike travelled overland in a campervan to India with two friends before boarding a ship to Australia. On his return to the UK he gained a degree in social sciences, and enjoyed a long career in Human Resources at British Gas. He started writing seriously when he retired. Married and living in Sancton, East Yorkshire, Mike enjoys walking, jogging and cycling along the Yorkshire Wolds.

The manuscript of his first attempt at writing a novel was shortlisted for the 2019 Impress Prize for New Writers.

His first book, 'As Far As We Can' is a travel/memoir based on his journey to Australia. It was published in May 2021 and is an Amazon best seller.

His second book, 'Scrap' is a novel about the effects of the pit closure on a former miner and his family. It was published in July 2023.

His latest novel 'Kicking Off' is the story of a football match between a women's team of young care workers and a pub team of middle-aged men, back together after 30 years. Sparks fly as both teams prepare for the challenge. It was published in July 2025.

'Mike's writing is really vivid...there's a real skill in telling a tale in such an immediate way, and Mike Padgett certainly has that skill' Ian McMillan.

'Faultless ear for dialogue' Professor Steve Linstead.