TO CELEBRATE the release of three school mystery books a Dorset author has hidden £1,000 for a county-wide treasure hunt.

Jonathan Wedge has placed six cryptic clues inside his Winkton Abbey books which will lead explorers to the treasure.

Anyone is invited to join in the hunt, although Mr Wedge said it might take the whole family to work together to solve the clues.

“I think anyone who knows about our coast's history of smuggling, or dreams about finding a treasure map will love the idea of solving these clues and digging up the haul,” said Jonathan. “Beware, the clues aren't easy. A true reflection of the second Winkton Abbey book, where Lily and her friends uncover a search for a 400-year-old treasure. That said, what better thing is there for children and families to do with their summer, than go on a real treasure hunt, and read a few books?”

The new book series is set at a fictitious Dorset school, Winkton Abbey, where 11-year-old Lily Thicke is sent to boarding school faced with a double pressure. Her parents have saved every penny for years to send her to Winkton Abbey, which is the highest performing school in Dorset. Until now, Lily had only attended Stakdale Junior, the worst performing school in Dorset.

The school in the books - Winkton Abbey- is inspired from a mix of his old school, Homefield, and the prestigious Milton Abbey School, near Blandford Forum.

After a 10-year career in Investment Management, working in Bournemouth and London, Mr Wedge quit the investment industry to write full-time in 2015.

As such, the Winkton Abbey books have been nearly four years in the offing. In that time Wedge has also released fifteen other books for children aged three to five, and written a musical, sci-fi, and thriller, which are currently undergoing editing. To find out more about his books, visit jonathanwedge.com

The Winkton Abbey paperbacks are £6.99 each and available through Amazon. Mr Wedge is running a competition through WedgeBooks on Facebook to give away five sets of the Winkton Abbey books.