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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Trusting The Salt Path author was our biggest mistake'
A family who claim The Salt Path author Raynor Winn stole tens of thousands of pounds from their business say trusting her was their "biggest mistake". Ros Hemmings and her daughter Debbie, from Pwllheli in Gwynedd, allege Ms Winn - who worked for their property business in the early 2000s - stole around £64,000. It comes after an investigation by The Observer contained claims Ms Winn gave misleading information about her life story in her book The Salt Path, which has been made into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Ms Winn has called The Observer report "highly misleading" and disputed many of its claims. Refunds as The Salt Path author pulls out of tour The Salt Path author defends herself against claims she misled readers The Salt Path author's next book delayed after 'distress' The 2018 book The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, tells the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home was repossessed following a bad business deal. But The Observer claimed Ms Winn - whose legal name is Sally Walker - and her husband, Moth Winn, had lost their home after she took out a loan to repay money she had been accused of stealing from her previous employer, Martin Hemmings. In a statement issued earlier in July, Ms Winn stood by the book's description of how they came to lose their house saying the dispute with the Hemmings did not result in her and her husband losing their home. Martin Hemmings, who died in 2012, was an estate agent and property surveyor from north Wales, and husband to Ros Hemmings. Mrs Hemmings, 74, became friends with Mr Winn when they worked at the same National Trust site in the 1990s. "I got on extremely well with him," said Mrs Hemmings. "He seemed a really nice person." Then in 2001, Mr Winn mentioned his wife had lost her job at a hotel as a bookkeeper. "It coincided with my husband's bookkeeper retiring so I suggested her to my husband," said Mrs Hemmings. "She came for an interview, and she was the one. She seemed very efficient, we liked her." But she said after that her husband noticed a change in the business. "Within a year or so we weren't making any money," said Mrs Hemmings. Initially they did not suspect anything. "I did not think there was any reason for this aside from the fact that Martin was rubbish at sending out bills," said Mrs Hemmings. But their daughter Debbie, who was aged around 29 at the time, became emotional as she remembered receiving a distressed call from her father as the financial pressure built over a number of years. "He said: 'I just don't know what's gone wrong, I'm working every hour God gives me and there's no money,'" said Debbie Adams, now aged 46. "About five days after that first call he rings up and goes, she [Winn] has been nicking money. I was like, 'dad come on now, no. Surely there's something gone wrong?' He said 'no, we've had a look and there's money missing'." They claimed a meeting between Mr Hemmings and the bank manager showed £6,000 to £9,000 was missing. They said Mr Hemmings then went straight to the police and a local solicitor. They said shortly afterwards, Ms Winn visited them at their home. "She was crying," said Mrs Hemmings. "She had brought a cheque I think it was for £9,000. She said this is all the money I have, I've had to sell some of my mother's things to do this, can we call it quits?" Mrs Hemmings said her husband took the money on the advice of the police who said: "It may be all you get." But they also advised the couple to start going back through the accounts to check if anything else was missing. She said they went back through years of the business's financial paperwork. "It was a very upsetting thing to do and it took us weeks and weeks," said Mrs Hemmings. "But we found she had taken about £64,000." Mrs Hemmings said a few weeks later they received a letter from a solicitor in London offering to pay the money back and legal fees which came to around £90,000. It included an agreement not to pursue criminal charges which Mr Hemmings signed. Mrs Hemmings said: "He was keen to do it in a way, we had no money and had nearly been basically bankrupt. She also had young children, and to have a mother in prison or facing a criminal charge, he didn't want that to happen." In a statement released in July after the Observer article, which included allegations from Mrs Hemmings, Ms Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her career. She said it had been a pressured time, and although she was questioned by police, she was not charged. "Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said. Ms Winn said the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis", because she "did not have the evidence required to support what happened". She said: "Mr Hemmings was as keen to reach a private resolution as I was." BBC Wales put Ms Winn's statement to Mrs Hemmings. She responded: "I think she's just trying to put the best spin on the question. "The mistake was that we ever employed her, and the biggest mistake my husband made, because obviously I'd recommended her in a way, was that he trusted her." The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication, and Ms Winn has written two sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also focus on themes of nature, wild camping, homelessness and walking. Mrs Hemmings said she had not read The Salt Path because she did not feel it would reflect her view on why the couple did the walk. She added: "I'd have stamped on the book I think. Just to gloss over why they ran out of money to me was shocking." Her daughter Debbie said: "I don't wish ill of them. I just wish that they would tell the truth, and the truth needs to be told." In her statement in July, Ms Winn said: "The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west. "It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope." Ros and Debbie said they had no paperwork or contract from the time to back up their claims - although others, like their solicitor involved in the case, Michael Strain, have corroborated their claims as part of The Observer's investigation. Mrs Hemmings said she was speaking out now to give "a voice" to her late husband. "I can't forgive her for sort of destroying my husband's confidence in people, because it did," she said. "And I think that's partly why we didn't talk about it. He was so embarrassed that this had happened to his business." North Wales Police said they were unable to confirm or deny any details regarding Ms Winn. When approached for comment, Ms Winn's spokesman referred BBC News to the statement Ms Winn made on 9 July. He added: "She is very grateful for all the kind messages of support she has received from readers." Penguin says it did 'all necessary due diligence' with The Salt Path The Salt Path author's next book delayed after 'distress' Raynor Winn hits back at claims she misled readers
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Salt Path: 'Trusting Raynor Winn was our biggest mistake'
A family who claim The Salt Path author Raynor Winn stole tens of thousands of pounds from their business say trusting her was their "biggest mistake".Ros Hemmings and her daughter Debbie, from Pwllheli in Gwynedd, allege Ms Winn - who worked for their property business in the early 2000s - stole around £64, comes after an investigation by The Observer contained claims Ms Winn gave misleading information about her life story in her book The Salt Path, which has been made into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Winn has called The Observer report "highly misleading" and disputed many of its claims. The 2018 book The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, tells the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home was repossessed following a bad business The Observer claimed Ms Winn - whose legal name is Sally Walker - and her husband, Moth Winn, had lost their home after she took out a loan to repay money she had been accused of stealing from her previous employer, Martin a statement issued earlier in July, Ms Winn stood by the book's description of how they came to lose their house saying the dispute with the Hemmings did not result in her and her husband losing their home. Martin Hemmings, who died in 2012, was an estate agent and property surveyor from north Wales, and husband to Ros Hemmings, 74, became friends with Mr Winn when they worked at the same National Trust site in the 1990s."I got on extremely well with him," said Mrs Hemmings. "He seemed a really nice person."Then in 2001, Mr Winn mentioned his wife had lost her job at a hotel as a bookkeeper."It coincided with my husband's bookkeeper retiring so I suggested her to my husband," said Mrs Hemmings."She came for an interview, and she was the one. She seemed very efficient, we liked her."But she said after that her husband noticed a change in the business."Within a year or so we weren't making any money," said Mrs Hemmings. Initially they did not suspect anything."I did not think there was any reason for this aside from the fact that Martin was rubbish at sending out bills," said Mrs their daughter Debbie, who was aged around 29 at the time, became emotional as she remembered receiving a distressed call from her father as the financial pressure built over a number of years."He said: 'I just don't know what's gone wrong, I'm working every hour God gives me and there's no money,'" said Debbie Adams, now aged 46."About five days after that first call he rings up and goes, she [Winn] has been nicking money. I was like, 'dad come on now, no. Surely there's something gone wrong?' He said 'no, we've had a look and there's money missing'."They claimed a meeting between Mr Hemmings and the bank manager showed £6,000 to £9,000 was missing. They said Mr Hemmings then went straight to the police and a local solicitor. They said shortly afterwards, Ms Winn visited them at their home."She was crying," said Mrs Hemmings. "She had brought a cheque I think it was for £9,000. She said this is all the money I have, I've had to sell some of my mother's things to do this, can we call it quits?"Mrs Hemmings said her husband took the money on the advice of the police who said: "It may be all you get."But they also advised the couple to start going back through the accounts to check if anything else was said they went back through years of the business's financial paperwork."It was a very upsetting thing to do and it took us weeks and weeks," said Mrs Hemmings. "But we found she had taken about £64,000."Mrs Hemmings said a few weeks later they received a letter from a solicitor in London offering to pay the money back and legal fees which came to around £90, included an agreement not to pursue criminal charges which Mr Hemmings Hemmings said: "He was keen to do it in a way, we had no money and had nearly been basically bankrupt. She also had young children, and to have a mother in prison or facing a criminal charge, he didn't want that to happen." In a statement released in July after the Observer article, which included allegations from Mrs Hemmings, Ms Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her said it had been a pressured time, and although she was questioned by police, she was not charged."Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she Winn said the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis", because she "did not have the evidence required to support what happened".She said: "Mr Hemmings was as keen to reach a private resolution as I was."BBC Wales put Ms Winn's statement to Mrs responded: "I think she's just trying to put the best spin on the question."The mistake was that we ever employed her, and the biggest mistake my husband made, because obviously I'd recommended her in a way, was that he trusted her."The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication, and Ms Winn has written two sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also focus on themes of nature, wild camping, homelessness and Hemmings said she had not read The Salt Path because she did not feel it would reflect her view on why the couple did the added: "I'd have stamped on the book I think. Just to gloss over why they ran out of money to me was shocking."Her daughter Debbie said: "I don't wish ill of them. I just wish that they would tell the truth, and the truth needs to be told." In her statement in July, Ms Winn said: "The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west."It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope."Ros and Debbie said they had no paperwork or contract from the time to back up their claims - although others, like their solicitor involved in the case, Michael Strain, have corroborated their claims as part of The Observer's Hemmings said she was speaking out now to give "a voice" to her late husband."I can't forgive her for sort of destroying my husband's confidence in people, because it did," she said."And I think that's partly why we didn't talk about it. He was so embarrassed that this had happened to his business."North Wales Police said they were unable to confirm or deny any details regarding Ms approached for comment, Ms Winn's spokesman referred BBC News to the statement Ms Winn made on 9 added: "She is very grateful for all the kind messages of support she has received from readers."
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Raynor Winn's New Book Delayed After 'The Salt Path' Slammed For 'Lies'
The publisher behind 'The Salt Path,' a bestselling book that claims to be based on a true story, has decided to push back the release of author Raynor Winn's next book after an investigation by British newspaper The Observer claimed the 'The Salt Path,' and subsequent movie, was "highly misleading" and "spun from lies, deceit and desperation." Gillian Anderson and Raynor Winn attend the premiere of the movie "The Salt Path" during the 2025 ... More Munich Film Festival. Getty Images Publisher Penguin said it and Winn have decided to delay "On Winter Hill," Winn's fourth book about a solo coast-to-coast hike set to release in October, because the drama around "The Salt Path" has "caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family.' In 'The Salt Path,' Winn claims she and her husband, Moth Winn, invested in the business of a childhood friend and ultimately lost their beloved 17th-century Welsh farmhouse when the friend took them to court to recoup their debt after the business failed. Suddenly homeless, and coping with her husband's unexpected diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration, a terminal illness, the couple decides to hike the 630-mile South West Coast Path in England that Winn says "transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives." But the Observer investigation claims the Winns, whose legal names are Sally and Tim Walker, lied about the reality of their financial situation and questions the veracity of his diagnosis. Several named sources claimed Raynor Winn actually embezzled £64,000 (about $87,000) from her employer years before writing her memoir, dodged related criminal charges and lost the family home after failing to repay one of many significant debts. The woman who moved into the Winn's home after it was repossessed said she received a stream of letters addressed to them with unpaid bills and credit card statements, letters from debt collection agencies and an unpaid speeding fine, and a local business owner in their town said he, too, is owed money from the couple. The Observer article also calls into question the diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration, a progressive brain disease similar to Parkinson's with a life expectancy of six to eight years, considering Moth Winn 'has been living with the condition for 18 years and he seems to have no visibly acute symptoms.' Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : Winn defended her story in a statement to The Observer, calling it "the true story of our journey," and later told BBC the article was 'highly misleading,' without specifically saying why. Winn has canceled a planned book reading tour in the UK, and a statement from her legal team said she was "deeply sorry to let down those who were planning to attend the Saltlines tour, but while this process is ongoing, she will be unable to take part.' Publishing house Penguin on Wednesday said in a statement to BBC that it "undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence, including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read, as is standard with most works of non-fiction." Penguin also said it had not been notified of any concerns about the book before hearing from The Observer. Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features, which made "The Salt Path" movie, told the BBC Monday the film is "a faithful adaptation of the book that we optioned" and "we undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book.' The Observer suggests Raynor Winn embezzled tens of thousands from her former employer Martin Hemmings' family-run business. Hemmings' widow, Ros, spoke to the paper and said she was glad her husband, who died in 2012, didn't live to see the book and film. Ros said her daughter has spoken before about the parts of the story she says are fabricated, and that, 'when she found any of the books in charity shops, she would write a little homily in the front about what Sally's really like.' Big Number More than 2 million. That's how many copies the book, a Sunday Times bestseller, has sold since its publication in March 2018 as one of Britain's most successful nonfiction books in recent years, according to The Observer. Tangent PSPA, the UK charity dedicated to people affected by CBD, told BBC it has "made the decision to terminate our relationship with the family' and a video of Moth Winn talking about his condition has been removed from its website. What We Don't Know If 'The Salt Path' film will be released in the United States. The movie released in England on May 30 and has grossed about $16 million so far. It's set to premier in Germany and France, and a deal is reportedly underway for US release. The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were spun from lies, deceit and desperation (The Observer) Penguin says it did 'all necessary due diligence' with The Salt Path (BBC) 5 Of Europe's Set-Jetting Destinations Now Trending In 2025 (Forbes) Further Viewing
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The Salt Path author could face legal action from publisher if she misled readers over best-selling memoir, reveals Richard Osman
The publisher of The Salt Path may sue its author if she and her husband deliberately lied about the life story that has made them millions of pounds, it was claimed today. Raynor Winn has been accused of fabricating, or misleading readers, about some parts of her best-selling book including her husband Moth's battle with a degenerative illness. The Salt Path prompted two sequels and the film adaptation, which was released in May, where they were played by A-listers Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. A source at the publisher has told MailOnline that 'all options are on the table' - although the couple insist the book is 'the true story of our journey'. Author and broadcaster Richard Osman believes that Penguin Random House, his own publisher, will look to 'claw back some of the money' from the couple if they have deliberately lied about their life story. 'It is a publishing phenomenon. Raynor has got a very, very nice career. You know, she's made millions.. they've got a nice house down in Cornwall', he said. But he warned: 'They would have signed a contract and therefore everything is on them. If something is a deliberate lie, then, Penguin Random House I guess would have some sort of recourse'. In the book, Winn said she and her husband Moth lost a fortune - and their home in Wales - due to a bad investment in a friend's business. But Raynor has now been accused of embezzling £64,000 from a former employer and was allegedly arrested. A loan was then allegedly taken out to avoid prosecution and when this was not paid their home was sold, it has been claimed. Moth Winn has been living with an illness for 18 years with no apparent visible symptoms that medical experts claim would require round-the-clock care within 12 years. It has also emerged that the couple's real names are Sally and Tim Walker and they apparently owned a property near Bordeaux in France all along. A spokeswoman for the Winns said allegations made by The Observer newspaper were 'highly misleading'. But Richard Osman has said the couple could face financial repercussions if they have lied. He said 'a bomb would have gone off' at the publisher after the Observer's investigation claimed that husband's illness and events that led to the couple losing their home were untrue or exaggerated. Penguin Random House is the publisher of Mr Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, which is being made into a movie series by director Steven Spielberg. Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast with co-host Marina Hyde, he said the publisher could take legal action because Raynor and Moth Winn will have signed contracts confirming their memoirs were truthful. He said: 'People are going to be very, very hurt. I suggest there'll be some legal issues if these things do turn out to be not true. 'I think that probably you try and claw back some of the money that you've passed over. I don't know this particular contract. The contract would normally be that they have guaranteed that everything, in this piece is truthful'. Marina Hyde said that Penguin Random House could end up giving the money to build a 'new neurology wing' and both predicted that the creditors could be called in again for the Winns. Richard Osman suggested that the couple may have got around £30,000 up front for The Salt Path before any profits from sales of more than two million copies worldwide. But the film released this year starring A-listers Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs would have been worth three to four million pound, he said. Richard added: 'One assumes, by the way, that the cheques got sent to Tim and Sally Walker, but that's another thing'. MailOnline has asked Penguin Random House to comment. It came as a healthcare charity dropped the author of The Salt Path after claims were made about her husband's illness and an allegation that she stole £64,000 from a former employer. PSPA said it was 'shocked and disappointed' about the allegations that were reported against Raynor and Moth Winn, which had 'taken everyone by surprise'. It was also announced yesterday that Raynor had pulled out of the upcoming Saltlines tour that would have seen her perform readings alongside the Gigspanner Big Band. Following an investigation into their backgrounds, The Observer said that The Salt Path's protagonists, Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, previously went by their less flamboyant legal names, Sally and Tim Walker. And rather than being forced out of their home in rural Wales when an investment in a childhood friend's business went awry, as the book suggested, it is alleged that the property was repossessed after Winn stole tens of thousands of pounds from a former employer and was arrested. When the couple failed to repay a loan taken out with a relative to repay the stolen money - agreed on terms that the police would not be further involved - they lost their home, it is claimed. A spokeswoman for the Winns on Sunday night told the Mail that the allegations made in the Sunday newspaper were 'highly misleading'. Their statement added: 'The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.' When asked to specify which allegations were misleading or factually inaccurate, the spokesman declined to comment further but said that the couple were taking legal advice. Questions have also been raised about Moth's debilitating illness, corticobasal degeneration [CBD], a rare neurological condition in the same family as Parkinson's disease, which is central to the book. The life expectancy for sufferers after diagnosis is around six to eight years, according to the NHS - however Moth has been living with the condition for 18 years with no apparent visible symptoms. As part of The Observer's investigation, a number of neurologists specialising in CBD were contacted, with one telling the newspaper that his history with the illness 'does not pass the sniff test'. It is suggested that anyone suffering from CBD for longer than 12 years would need round-the-clock care. Released in 2018, The Salt Path details the Winns' decision to embark on the South West Coast Path when they lose their home after investing a 'substantial sum' into a friend's business which ultimately failed. In the book, Winn writes: 'We lost. Lost the case. Lost the house.' The memoir then describes their subsequent 630-mile walk to salvation, wild camping en route and living on around £40 per week, and is described as a 'life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world.' It prompted two sequels and the film adaptation, which was released in May, starring The X Files' Anderson and Isaacs, who recently starred in HBO's The White Lotus. The Winns posed for photographs alongside the actors on the red carpet in London at the film's premiere. However following interviews with eight people with knowledge of the situation, it is now claimed that the Winns actually lost their 17th century farmhouse in rural North Wales when Winn stole around £64,000 from the late Martin Hemmings, her former boss at his family-run estate agency, where she worked as a bookkeeper in the early 2000s. Martin has since died but his wife Ros told The Observer: 'Her claims that it was all just a business deal that went wrong really upset me. 'When really she had embezzled the money from my husband. It made me feel sick.' After initially suspecting she had stolen around £9,000, investigations revealed she had allegedly stolen much more and the police were reportedly called in and Winn was arrested. The Winns are then said to have visited a distant relative of 'Moth' in London who agreed he would lend them the money to repay the stolen funds - as long as the Hemmings agreed not to pursue a criminal case. 'I just hoped I would never hear from her again,' Mrs Hemmings said. 'Until somebody waved that book at me [The Salt Path] and said: 'Guess who?'' The loaned money is then said to have accrued substantial interest until it eventually exceeded £150,000, it is said. When the relative's business then failed, there was a court case and the Winns' home was repossessed to repay the relative's business associates. A further allegation likely to harm the couple's account of 'homelessness' are based on documents which show that, at the time they lost their property in Wales, Sally and Tim Walker owned a house in the south-west of France, which they had purchased in 2007. Mrs Hemmings told The Observer she was glad her husband didn't live long enough to see the publication of the book and release of the film. 'It would have made him so angry,' she said.
