‘I’m flattered that she doesn’t think I’m out of touch’

Jane Slade, 59, has formed a great bond with Lucy Daley, 32.

Ihave known Lucy since she was 14. She was my niece’s best friend. They attended the same school in Bexhill, in East Sussex. I had spent my teenage years in the town and worked on the local newspaper before moving to London, so I would see Lucy at my sister’s and parents’ homes.

however, our friendship did not blossom until a few years later, when my sister died quite suddenly. She had three children under the age of 18. the youngest, my nephew, was 12. their father had died two years before, so the family was in freefall.

in the haze of shock and grief and emotional turmoil, i remember Lucy always being there; comforting my nieces and nephew and offering us all friendship and support. Despite being so young, she always had the maturity and calmness that i have come to treasure.

a year later, when i was celebrating a happier event, my marriage, i asked her to be the official photographer. She loved taking pictures and of course knew my family – she had become part of it.

When she moved to London we began to see each other more. the age gap didn’t seem an issue. the baby boomer and the millennial are not so different. We seem to like similar things.

every few weeks we meet for dinner. We talk about plays and exhibitions; exchange views on current affairs. We talk about everything – relationships, jobs, family.

i have probably asked her advice more than she has asked for mine. i am flattered that she enjoys my company and doesn’t consider me out of touch. We have a very close bond. We even went on holiday together a few years ago.

We may have been born decades apart — my earliest memory is being told to keep quiet while watching Winston churchill’s funeral on a black-and-white tv; Lucy comes from the microchip generation — but we seem to have a lot in common.

in some ways, Lucy is the daughter that i never had. i was so delighted a few months ago when she rang to tell me about her new boyfriend and was keen for me to meet him. i hope that she knows i am her friend for life.

‘We talk about everything: relationships, jobs, family’