An amateur actress is stepping into the shoes of her great grandmother and acting in a play based on the true-life story her talented late father wrote.

Adult social care commissioner, Jo Sutton, from Sandbach, originally from Birkenhead, plays the part of Hannah Corcoran – her great grandmother whom she never met.

The lively production tells the tale of a feisty woman of her time who persuades the Birkenhead Shipyard to hire her as its first female labourer

Set in Northwest England, Hannah's Left Hook is a story of survival, feisty determination - the occasional black eye!

Jo, 52, is part of local drama group, the Saxon Players, who are currently staging Hannah's Left Hook at Sandbach's Masonic Hall.

She says she is delighted and honoured to be acting act her great grandmother's life in the tough times during that period and bringing history to life.

But she says apart from the sad fact her father, Brian McKeown, isn't here to see his daughter act out his book, the play also touches on some sad historical events currently happening in the world.

"We mention the Spanish flu, which obviously was big at the time and the Great War," said Jo who says these mirror current political events.

"We've got Covid and the war in the Ukraine. It's as if we are facing similar things today as they did over a hundred years ago," said Jo, who lives in Wheelock.

Jo's late father, who sadly died after contracting Covid, spent around five years writing the book – his second.

The amateur actress had always wanted her father's work adapted for the stage so asked a member of the talented Sandbach-based Saxon Players to write the script for the stage.

"We've only covered half of the book so there's potential to have a follow-up and a second play," says Jo who poignantly has bought a seat at each of the play's three performances for her late father.

"My step-mum, Sue McKeown, will be sitting next to the seat as if her husband was watching. It's a wonderful production and we're all thoroughly enjoying it," says Jo.

Jo's father used memories from his own childhood in Birkenhead to tell his grandmother's story which shows the hardships of life at that time for many.

Through countless scrubbing of a church floor which she cleaned she developed a "devastating" left hook, which the book and play is based on.

The colourful and strong woman championed the rights of the poor and was renowned as a local class legend.

Brian McKeown's widow, Sue has flown over from her home in America to see her late husband's book brought to the stage.

"He would have been so proud to see Jo on stage and the play itself.

He loved writing and loved to tell stories. He would have been so proud of Jo."

Jo's family have also enjoyed seeing the book brought to life and the historical twists and turns the play has.

"My father loved history and the book and play mirror how he spoke and how he was perfectly. I just hope the audiences enjoy it as much as we are enjoying bringing it to the stage."

Hannah's Life Hook premiered at Sandbach Mason Hall on Thursday night and it is the last performance tonight (Saturday, April 2nd).

Tickets cost £10 and are available here Click Doors open at 7pm and performances start at 7.30 pm.

Hannah's Life Hook is published by Garland Press and is available from Amazon Click