A STROKE survivor hoping to spread joy around the world with his travelling tome has launched a competition to find his first random writer.

Gary Gill of Abingdon wants to find 100 people to fill the pages of his Book of Hope with artistic illustrations and inspirational words for the children of the world.

The 52-year-old is planning to send it off on a 100-stop journey around the country – and possibly beyond – where each person fills one page.

At the end of it all he plans to produce miniature copies of the volume and sell them to raise money for his new charity, FACE – For All Children Everywhere.

He has just recently had the book hand-crafted by a series of artisans, many of them local, and is now looking for his inaugural author.

He said: "It's got bronze lettering on the front, and I had the pages printed in Abingdon, and I've even put a £250 tracker inside so we can see where it's going.

"It's looking really smart and I'm ready to go now, but I don't know who to give it to first!"

Mr Gill is best known to many as a joint-founder of Abingdon's Stroke Club.

He founded the fortnightly get-together for fellow survivors after having a stroke in 2012 aged just 46.

Now the father-of-one and grandfather-of-two has set his sights on trying to make the world a better place for the next generation.

He said: "All the funds I raise from the book will go through Project FACE to community-driven charity projects.

"There are lots of kids out there that don't get a great deal in life who I want to help."

He has already set up a website for Project FACE, and hopes to use the Book of Hope to kick-start the fundraising – including the first £5,000 which will enable him to officially register the scheme as a charity.

Mr Gill explained: "Whoever you give it to we'll have to a reason to give it to them, then they have got 24 hours and in that time they have to write something, draw something, whatever they want their message to the children of the future to be.

"Then they have got to nominate someone to give it to and say why that person is worth it."

Mr Gill also wants to ask each of his 100 authors to donate one item to auction off for Project FACE.

He added: "Hopefully we can get some high-profile people signing on."

To get involved go to thebookofhope.org, facebook.com/TheBigBookOfHope or email team@thebookofhope.org