Helen and I became good friends when we were raising young children. We lived at opposite sides of the Isle of Wight and took it in turns to visit each other for a day out with the kids or to get the whole families together. I will always remember with gratitude how Helen emotionally supported us during a time of grief in 1988 when we lost our second child, Jamie. She didn't make a fuss but helped us get on with life so that we could feel back to normal. She was a very wise and magnanimous woman. She loved children (of all ages) and I know it would have broken her heart to leave her grandchildren so soon.