I would like to share a story which illustrates Isobel's special gift for friendship and quick thinking in an emergency. I appreciated very much the way Isobel continued to visit, telephone and send photocopies of items she thought might be of interest after we moved from Carlton. One of her visits was on a memorable day, the afternoon of the great Leyburn Flood! A thunderstorm kept circling, and when Isobel got up to go, the rain was coming down like stair-rods and a lake was already forming at the bottom of our road. I didn't want her to drive in those conditions, but she assured me she would be fine and drove off in her little car. I learned afterwards that she only got as far as Leyburn market place, which was like a river that day, when she spotted a friend from Horsehouse in a 4 x 4! Requesting a lift home to Coverdale, she parked her car in what she hoped would be a safe space, and arrived home to find Carlton untouched by the storm. Next day she collected her car , safe and sound, while people in Wensleydale and Swalewdale were assessing widespread damage throughout the district. 

Elaine