National Housewives’ Register was a lifeline for women like me

Maureen Nicol in 1960. ‘The Register provided an escape and opened up the way to lively, non-domestic discussions and life-long friendships.’ Photograph: Courtesy of the National Women's Register

I was a young housewife in the early 1970s when I heard about the National Housewives’ Register – now the National Women’s Register – founded by Maureen Nicol (Obituary, 3 September). It was a lifeline. My husband’s job required us to move around the country, and finding myself in a new location with two infants was daunting and lonely. The Register provided an escape and opened up the way to lively, non-domestic discussions and lifelong friendships.
Sue Wallace
Thame, Oxfordshire

• Why should Lucy Mangan even consider a laundering and ironing service for her son’s school shirts (Digested week, 6 September)? Starting secondary school is a good time to introduce boys – and girls – to ironing. I made sure my son ironed all his shirts, and later introduced the idea that he should wash his sports kit. Worked very well.
Jennifer Turner
York