SIR – Just recently on television there has been an excellent programme, Military Wives, with Gareth Malone.

About nine months ago Gareth went to the Chivenor Military Base to see if he could interest the wives of the Marines, who were about to be deployed in Afghanistan on a six-month tour of duty, to form a wives’ choir, and there was immediate interest. The programme showed the anxieties of those left behind and how they dealt with day-to-day issues.

A similar number of wives formed a choir at the Plymouth base and as a choir together they went from strength to strength and gave a concert for loved ones returning from Afghanistan.

They went on to sing for officers passing out at Sandhurst, and only just recently they had the honour of appearing before the Royal Family and 5,000 gathered in the Royal Albert Hall in the British Legion Festival of Remembrance, which was shown on national television before millions of viewers.

The series was very moving with laughter and tears, so when it’s repeated make sure you have a handkerchief.

I enjoyed this series as much as I have enjoyed anything this year.

Dennis Delaney, The Avenue, Clayton