My mother was with my father for 36 years. He died in 2019. Yet, on the 2021 census, my mother had to tick the “single or never married” box. This lack of legitimacy afforded to meaningful non-marital relationships is not only insulting, it fails to capture an important aspect of how people live.
Alice Walker
London
My suggestion to Barbara Gray (Letters, 18 March) in order for her to continue her morning brain-training is to try what I do with the cryptic crossword on my iPad. I use the “reveal all” facility and spend the rest of the day trying to work out how the clues gave the published answers. I’m afraid to say, most days I fail miserably.
Dorothy Mitchell
Sunderland
If Barbara Gray is demoralised by the increasingly difficult quick crossword, may I suggest she switch to the Codeword, which has been getting steadily easier for weeks now.
Jill Wallis
Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire
Good to see your photograph (18 March) of the chief executive of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, receiving his jab at Westminster Abbey. That’s one way of avoiding the £18 entry charge.
David Duell
Durham
