Paul is Chairman of the Manchester Bolton & Burry Canal Society; he wrote the Towpath Guide in 2009 and he edits the society's quarterly journal. He also edits North West Geography, which is an online journal. Paul has several previously published books, and now he is retired spends a lot of time researching Greater Manchester's history. With links to the local library in Salford, it is from this source that he will be taking the majority of his old photographs.