A 99-year-old from Tetbury has lamented the death of Denis Healey who once sent her a letter complimenting her poetry.

Baron Healey, Labour member of parliament for 40 years, served as Defence Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer until his death on October 3, aged 98.

Tributes flooded in from around the world, but one local woman had special cause to be sad.

Kathleen Ross, who lives in The Chipping, Tetbury, sent a poem to Mr Healey in 1993 entitled ‘Happy Hinterland’.

The moving 15 line poem ends: “Mingled in the deep recess of memory/ Is joy, joy only that peaks/ Joy alone that claims...”

Mr Healey replied with a letter topped with the regal crest of the House of Lords where he thanked her for her “lovely poem”.

Mother-of-six Ms Ross told the Standard she thought he was a "wonderful man", adding that she had a “great many letters from a great many interesting people”, which she had accumulated over her long and interesting life.

She is currently looking for someone to help publish her magnum opus, Many Mansions, a detailed memoir of her fascinating life and many adventures.