An appeal in last week's Around the Clock column for people who could break Libby Burgess's 53-year pen friend relationship prompted a good response.

Not long after the papers hit the streets, we were contacted by Mary Richardson, of Shurland Avenue, Minster.

The 72-year-old had been in touch with her pen friend, Noreen Egan, for 57 years until Noreen died from a brain tumour last November.

Former dock worker Mary first started writing to Noreen, who lived in Tipperary in Ireland, when she was 15 and dating her brother.

She said they regularly kept in contact, even though her relationship with her brother didn’t last, and they would talk about everything.

She said: “It was a good friendship. Noreen was always interested in the Island and did come to stay and I stayed with her too,

“I’m sorry to have lost her – we really were the best of friends.”

Mary Schembri, of Broadway, Sheerness, has the longest pen friend of anyone we were contacted by – she has been in touch with Janalene Oakes for 63 years.

Mary, now 78, started writing to New Yorker Janalene when she was 15 and her new pen friend 13.

They exchanged photos and kept in touch as the years went by, although they have never met as Mary is not keen on flying.

Great-grandma Mary said they email each other now as they find it easier.

She added: “It’s been lovely.

“She sometimes laughs at my spelling and corrects it for me – she’s taught me a lot.

“I haven’t met her but I’ve looked at her house on Google Earth.”

Gill Baker, from Minster, also got in touch to let us know about her pen pal from down under.

She has been writing to her Australian friend Adell Smith, who lives 50 miles south of Sydney, for 61 years after they got in touch when Gill was five.

The 66-year-old said: “Over the years there have been many coincidences in our lives – we married within months of each other and our sons are the same age.

“Her parents, her husband and her have visited and we have made return trips.

“In fact her 93-year-old mother asked in her Christmas card when I was going out again.

“We hope to continue writing for many more years.”