A GROUP of elderly widowers have published their sixth booklet in aid of charity.

Career Reflections of Elderly Widowers Living Alone has been written and published by the Elderly Widowers Looking Back group.

The Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Sue Snowdon wrote the foreword.

The book was launched at the Durham Light Infantry Durham Cathedral gift shop during an event attended by the county’s deputy Lord Lieutenant Andrew Martell, Durham Deputy Mayor Cllr Bill Moir and Professor John Clarke, the chairman of the writing group.

Contributor James Freeley said: “When we first started writing it was a very cathartic process, helping us to come to terms with living without our wives.

"We banded together and gelled together. We had all lost our wives to dementia and various other ailments and our first book title was Without Her. We have since written about various things that have happened in our lives."

Among the other titles have been: Better or Worse? Elderly Widowers in the Modern World; War Memories: Elderly Widowers Look Back; Elderly Widowers Look at their City and County and Jim Mulhall’s Memories.

Mr Freeley said: "We pay for the printing, which is of a very high quality, and give the books for sale to various local charities. They keep all the proceeds."

The charities which have benefitted previously include County Durham Age UK, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Durham Cathedral and the British Red Cross.

The beneficiary of the latest book is the British Heart Foundation.

About 1,000 copies have been printed and will be available at British Heart Foundation at shops.