My mother was a great letter writer from the 1970s until the early noughties. She would write to ministers, prime ministers and even to newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell and the Queen Mother.

What it reveals is a mother with strong convictions, fighting for the rights of those less well-off but also with a natural warmth and practicality – the letter from the Queen Mother thanking her for the advice on what cream to use on her sore legs is just a small example.