‘We all laugh in the same language’

The Bolton clown who performed in refugee camps

Dear members — The Mill’s very first writer Dani Cole left to pursue the joys of a freelance existence a fortnight ago — fortunately, we have a piece from her written before her departure we’ve been saving for a rainy day. The topic isn’t an easy or comfortable one, but we think the story of Eddie Haworth is worth sitting with. After a difficult childhood in Bolton, Haworth went on to become a clown in the refugee camps of Thailand. Out of a very sad beginning to his life, he was able to craft a life full of laughter.

One of the reasons Joshi set up The Mill was to shine a spotlight on the lives of those who don’t generally receive a huge amount of media attention. We hope this counts as one of them. 

Fair warning: This article contains an account of child sexual abuse. 

And, a note from the editor: we’d like to invite you to join Millers Talk, our exclusive, members-only Facebook group. It’s a chance for us to get to know each other, share ideas and talk about stories. We love getting c…