Elspeth and I became close friends in 1980, when we worked together. We had great fun together: meals at each other’s houses, cinema, theatre, parties and took a First Aid course and Badminton classes as well as participating in a BBC radio programme at BBC House. The First Aid course involved much bandaging of a long-suffering Matthew and also putting him in slings and splints. I counted Elspeth as one of my “true” friends -someone you could always rely on, not someone who was just there when it suited them. I will never forget her typing my MA thesis, at short notice and high speed, when I had left it all to the last moment. We spent a great deal of time together over 20+ years and then drifted apart for a while before meeting up again about 5 years ago, when it was like we had never been apart. While Elspeth enjoyed going out and doing things there was never any doubt that her three boys took priority in everything she did. She made sure that they always came first and she brought them up to be a credit to her. I will miss you terribly, Elspeth. R.I.P. Val