Author of the books 'Itching After Rovers' 

and 'Blowing With The Blackburn Trades'.   (Probably the only book ever written about a boozer in Blackburn).  Both these ebooks are free and can be downloaded from the author's website.

Runs the website http://www.rovingmick.com/

Early Life

Mick Pickup was born in the British Military Hospital, Dhekelia, Cyprus, to Joyce and Allen Pickup.  The latter was serving in the British Army during the EOKA Crisis in 1959.  Both parents were born and raised in Blackburn, Lancashire.  They also produced a daughter who was born after their return to Blackburn in 1964.

After an unhappy school life, Pickup spent an unsuccessful year at Blackburn College.  He was briefly out of work before gaining employment just after his 17th birthday.  He was made redundant after nearly eight years with the firm in early 1984.

Blowing With The Blackburn Trades

The previous year Pickup joined the Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union (EETPU) as an Auxiliary member. In 1984 he was elected by his union to the Blackburn Trades Council and then by this body as a committee member of the Trades Council Club.

Pickup eventually became Chairman of the club’s management committee.  He held this position until the club folded in 1993.  Before the club’s closure, Pickup decided he would like to write a book about his experiences as a member and as part of the management committee.

He wrote the first three chapters while living in Victoria House, Queens Park Flats.  The majority of the book was written while Pickup lived at Openshaw Drive.  It was finished and published when he moved to Downham Street, all in Blackburn.  The book took two years to write and a similar length of time to be published.

Itching After Rovers

The idea for writing a second book came from former Trades Club committee member ‘Big Dave’ Simpson.  He particularly enjoyed Blowing With The Blackburn Trades. Despite being disinterested in football, Simpson suggested the author write a book about his experiences of supporting Blackburn Rovers.

Early into the new millennium, Pickup began to write down his recollections of hitchhiking to Blackburn Rovers away matches.  Like his first book, this took him around two years to complete. Difficulties occurred in trying to publish the work. Eventually a publisher in Manchester was found.  Unfortunately it ceased trading, setting back the process of bringing out the book by years.

Following this publishing debacle, Pickup decided to forego the paper version and bring out an eBook instead. He added two more chapters and used Smashwords to publish his eBook. This came out on general sale in 2012.

Roving Mick Website

Despite the majority of sales of Itching After Rovers coming from the Blackburn area, problems with Smashwords being USA based have caused complications in payments to the author.  Up to the present day, Pickup has still to receive any payments from Smashwords even after paying UK tax on his eBook sales.

To try and remedy this payment problem, Pickup decided to set up his own website.  He also used it to showcase his contributions to the Blackburn Rovers fanzine - 4000 Holes.  His first book - Blowing With The Blackburn Trades - was made into an eBook and is available on the website, along with Itching After Rovers.

Read here:  'Itching After Rovers'