Humans are so clever, the advancements made over the last century are astonishing. In the 1920s very few people had access to a telephone, skip forward 100 years and the golden age of the home telephone is already on the wane. It would be unthinkable now for anyone to not have a phone.

We are living in a time when everything is instant, photographs, deliveries, food, correspondence. Nobody has to wait for anything anymore and whilst we can all appreciate the benefits of this, we have lost some things along the way.

When I was courting, there’s an old-fashioned term for you, we would often stay in touch via letter. It may seem primitive but there was something very special about the whole process. Sitting down to write on your best paper, carefully folding and placing the note inside the envelope, even the walk to the letter box, knowing that that precious missive was going to bring someone so much joy. Then the waiting began, listening out for the postman’s cheery whistle, rushing downstairs to greet him. I would never just open the letter, I would carry it back up to my room and get comfortable, savouring every word. You will never get the same joy from a text message.

The team here at Marham House have worked together with a company called Lottie to help us to relive some of these memories. They have organised pen pals for us. This week we received our letters and it felt wonderful, the handwritten envelope, the anticipation, it all came flooding back. We even helped to make a promotional video for Lottie to help them to connect others.

It was a lot of fun. If you would like to watch our video go to https://lottie.org/lottie-pen-pals/ and have a look. Technological advancements are wonderful but there is nothing like the thrill of receiving a letter from a loved one. Why not treat yourself to a Basildon Bond notepad and write to someone you love?