"As a child my favourite book was Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Sharing stories is one of life’s great pleasures. The best of luck to Signed Stories – I’m sure it will give hours of enjoyment to deaf children and their families and friends."

Brendan Foster is a former Olympic athlete who took bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. In 1981 he founded the Great North Run, which has become the world’s biggest half marathon attracting around 52,000 runners every year. Brendan was made a MBE in 1976 and a CBE in 2008 for services to sport and broadcasting and is now a regular commentator on athletics.