Carol was born with spin bifida and angioedema type III, a rare disorder that can block the airways. At just six-years-old, she was shot in the leg and she contracted TB, spending many years in and out of hospital.

Carol, 85, lives alone following the death of her beloved husband Meurig in 2021 after a heart attack. Very sadly, Carol also lost one of her sons to cancer in 2018. These days, she gets great comfort from her regular calls with Re-engage volunteer Elaine Tennant. "She's a wonderful person and a lifesaver,” said Carol, who lives in North Wales.

Elaine, 53, said: “Carol is an absolutely amazing woman. We have built a beautiful friendship and comfort each other.”

Carol’s mother was a distant relation to the Marlborough family, whose family seat is the fabulous Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, birthplace of Winston Churchill. For the first few years of her life, Carol couldn’t speak properly because of the angioedema, causing her deep frustration; it wasn’t until she was four years old that people began to understand what she was saying.

Her father, Charles Watkins, was a radio operator on a Second World War Stirling bomber which suffered flak damage after one mission and crash landed on the English coast in July 1944. He was treated at the famous East Grinstead burns unit, set up by renowned plastic surgeon, Sir Archibald McIndoe. When he recovered, Charles took Carol to Berlin in 1946 due to his work, and while there, a soldier shot at their car, leaving Carol with shrapnel in her leg. There followed periods in and out of hospital on the outskirts of the city after she contracted TB.

Later in life when her father worked for the Crown Estates, she went with him on visits to Balmoral, home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. “I used to see her around and she was always friendly and very sweet,” said Carol.

Carol added: “It’s been an eventful life, and at times it’s been difficult, but I was always told to basically get on with it, and that’s what I’ve done. I believe people should be kind to each other and that’s what Elaine is. She really is special, and I so enjoy talking to her. She makes me feel so much better.”

Re-engage Call Companion Elaine, who works at a mental health outpatients' clinic in Birmingham, has been speaking to Carol for nearly two years. She explained: “She has been through so much but still has a brilliant sense of humour. In fact, there are times when she cheers me up. We have a two-way relationship. It’s not just all about me listening to her. We help each other along.

“Carol is always thinking of others and says there are people who need help more than her. But she’s contributed an awful lot to life and now it’s time for her to get help. And that’s why I love making the calls – because she truly deserves our support.”

Carol’s daughter, Linda, said: “Elaine is such a comfort to mum who really looks forward to her weekly phone call. We’d like to thank Re-engage for providing this service for her.”