The Fancy Schmancy Lifeguard book about poodles on Hampstead Heath

When Gilda and Julian Boram moved from Australia to Hampstead in 2018 they "shipped everything" including toy poodles Buddy and Bella - logging the journey on their Instagram account.

They based their book The Fancy Schmancy Lifeguard: A Tale of Bravery (Rainbowdrop Books) on their move to Hampstead and romps on the Heath.An emergency at Hampstead ponds features in The Fancy Schmancy Lifeguard (Image: Courtesy of Rainbowdrop Books)

"The book was based on true events when we moved from Sydney," says Gilda, who wrote the words.

"Julian and I decided to make a sea change when our two daughters moved to the UK for university and we settled in Hampstead. We were fortunate to live literally a few steps from the Heath on Well Walk and the book is inspired by our daily adventures with Buddy and Bella. Hampstead is so pretty, like something out of a fairy tale, and the Heath is truly a dog’s heaven! The endless trails, the ponds, and of course the squirrels."

Julian added: "I particularly enjoyed walking early in the morning when it was quiet, marvelling at the amazing tree line paths. As an illustrator, I was inspired by its glorious vastness and all the human and animal activity around the ponds. I enjoyed building this into the illustrations to bring the story to life."Gilda wrote the story and Julian created the illustrations for The Fancy Schmancy Lifeguard (Image: Courtesy of Gilda and Julian Boram)

The book begins with the dogs surfing and swimming at the beach down under before moving to a new country where they feel out of place.

Buddy fears his dream of becoming a lifeguard is over until he spots tryouts at Hampstead ponds. They laugh at such a 'fancy schmancy' poodle, until an emergency sees him save the day.

The dogs visit Hampstead Heath (Image: Courtesy of Rainbowdrop Books)

"When we moved here we all had moments of feeling like a fish out of water, even Buddy and Bella!" says Gilda. "One minute they were spending summer days at the beach or playing in our backyard pool, the next they were in chilly London winter wearing puppy puffer jackets to stay warm. I wanted to write a relatable story from our dog’s perspectives, showing children how important it is to stay true to yourself and be confident to follow your dreams, no matter what others say.

"There’s also a strong message about inclusion and to not judge a book by its cover. Poodles can get a bit of a bad rap sometimes, and I wanted to show that even though Buddy is a tiny fluffy little thing, he’s still capable of achieving great things. Nobody should be overlooked because of what they look like."The Fancy Schmancy Lifeguard is published by Rainbowdrop Books (Image: Courtesy of Rainbowdrop Books)