The idea of leaving a legacy is partly why I continue to persevere with writing and publishing my novels. I know how proud my children are about the work that I do, and they both enjoy writing their own stories, so they can be authors just like mummy.

My husband has just been made redundant from a job where he left a very big legacy in terms of the work he put into that place over the years, and how he helped improve recycling and waste management statistics for Greater Manchester Waste. It got me thinking about my family legacy, and where I come from: a small city in the north Midlands, known affectionately as The Potteries.

Leaving a Legacy: My Gift to the World when I’m Gone

Technically I come from a town just outside of Stoke-on-Trent, but my grandparents grew up in and around the Potteries, and so did I. As a child I never appreciated what a great city I came from, always seeking to escape and set up a new life somewhere else in the world. I ended up not far away, just over the border in Cheshire, and I still regularly visit family and friends in Stoke.

Perhaps it is the political unrest in our country that has me feeling nostalgic for the good old days. Maybe I am feeling my age and thinking about my parents and grandparents. I have always been fascinated by social history and heritage, and just last week my mum and I visited a local craft and antique centre in search of homewares. We like to buy second-hand items where possible, partly to reuse them, and partly to respect their heritage.

Replace my broken china

I found some useful dinner plates to replace my broken ones, my mum found some ornamental items she wanted. I also found lots of fine bone china tea sets that reminded me of my paternal grandmother. She loved to collect Royal Doulton figurines, and I inherited three of them when my grandad passed away last year. I used to love studying the figurines as a child, and now I sit and stare at them while I work at home, seeking inspiration in their bright colours and cheerful depictions.

I have a Country Rose lady, the Balloon Lady, and the Silk Ribbon Lady. I also have a cabinet full of Royal Albert Old Country Roses dinnerware from my nanna, and I love it. Our heritage is important. These pieces were designed and made in Stoke-on-Trent, and they will always remind me of where I came from, and my ancestors before me. Let us continue to create lives that are colourful, cheerful and always optimistic. Namaste.

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