Simon Mennell is a best-selling author, global Executive, and storyteller across
genres. Their debut memoir, Shattered Norms, ranked #2 in Amazons Hot New
Releases and maintaining strong momentum across Amazon’s sales charts. Its bold message of resilience, reinvention, and leadership earned a national spotlight with an interview on BBC Radio.

Raised in modest circumstance, Simon Mennell learned early on the value of
determination, independence, and grit. Those formative experiences, combined with a dynamic international career, now shape the stories they tell – whether in a memoir, fiction, or leadership writing. They are the author of the emotional novel We Almost Had Forever, the sci-fi series Dream Agents, and the soon to be published leadership guide L.E.A.D.E.R: Six Principles to Unbreakable Leadership.

Across genres, their work explores identify, second chances, and what it truly means to lead. Simon Mennell lives in Yorkshire with their family and spends time between the UK and Thailand. When not writing, they enjoy golf, gliding, exploring new ideas, and quiet moments with loved ones. They are also the founder of Westow Publishing.

Lewis Gell is a nationally recognised safeguarding consultant, trauma recovery specialist,and victim of institutional child abuse. As the founder of The Forgotten Boys, he has spent over 35 years transforming lived experience into frontline expertise, supporting some of the UK’s most vulnerable children and adults.

Sent to a pre-Borstal Remand Home at the age of ten, Lewis has gone on to influence national safeguarding policy and practice. His lived-experience insight has contributed to the work of the Crown Prosecution Service, Ministry of Justice, NWG Network, and the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.

His voice has helped shape national conversations on victim-led safeguarding, historic child abuse, and justice reform, through focus groups, strategic panels, and collaborative policy projects.

Lewis is also the author of a respected series of professional white papers addressing institutional abuse, youth custody, safeguarding failures, and trauma-informed recovery. These papers are used by universities, legal teams, social care agencies, and policymakers seeking to understand and reform the legacy of systemic abuse.

A qualified NLP Practitioner, CBT Therapist, and Recovery Strategist, Lewis specialises in working with men impacted by historic child abuse and exploitation. His work bridges the gap between victims and services, restoring trust, amplifying unheard voices, and driving cultural change from the inside out.

The Forgotten Boys: A Borstal Legacy brings his story to the page with brutal honesty, deep compassion, and a call to action. Part memoir, part professional insight, this book is both a tribute to victims and a vital resource for professionals committed to understanding and confronting the legacy of institutional harm.

“Remember, in all honesty, I’m not an author, editor or publisher. Just a maladjusted kid and a forgotten boy. I went from victim to professional. I am a bridge, a professional, and victim to professionals.”