I HAD formed an opinion of Jim Tague, who writes to HAS expressing his Conservative views. Being an active Labour man myself, my opinion was not favourable. How wrong I was.

My wife is in a care home and the treatment she received from Darlington hospital was far from satisfactory. We are both 92 years of age, and she was in a wheelchair for up to ten hours a day, which was not comfortable for her. The care home requested a special chair, but after 18 months we were still waiting – and I had to pay £1,600 for it.

As I had served with both the RAF and REME, a friend passed on my story to SSAFA, the forces support charity, and Jim Tague visited my home as a volunteer visitor, not employed by the charity. When I enquired if it was he who wrote to HAS, he said it was, and he enjoyed it when I showed him my Labour membership card.

Within three weeks, he arrived at the home with two chairs via SSAFA which were both suitable.

I was delighted and thankful, as he had written to several charities on my behalf.

When I asked him why he volunteered as a SSAFA visitor, he replied that he had served in the RAF for 14 years and as life had treated him well, he felt it was time to repay something, a rare quality these days.

Tom Ward, Crook.