Profile

"I was born in Ilkley, but have lived in various parts of the country before returning to West Yorkshire in 1995. My father, a teacher, loved poetry and would read it aloud to my brother and me. A particular favourite was "The Highwayman", by Alfred Noyes. We learned poems by heart at our two-class, Lancashire village primary school, and I was enchanted by Hilaire Belloc's "Tarantella". On Friday afternoons, as a treat, we were allowed to compile our own anthologies of favourite poems. One of mine was "A Boy's Song", by James Hogg, which captured the essence of our 'free to wander' 1950's childhood.

A brilliant English teacher at secondary school, still a firm friend, inspired me to follow in her footsteps; but after a brief teaching career I re-trained as a librarian.

I began writing poetry at primary school, but showed it to no one, rather like keeping a diary. My work is not prolific and words come to me often many years after the experience described. Music is my other passion and choral singing has been my hobby. My husband and I married in our forties and have one son. I shall be 70 this year."