My mother, Jackie Hughes, who has died aged 88, had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. Endlessly curious about others, she believed the richest life was one filled with family, friendship, shared meals and adventure.
Born in Msida, Malta, she was the daughter of Daisy (nee Holloway) and Jack Morris, a naval tailor. During the second world war, when she was two, Jackie and her sister, Fay, were brought to the UK by their mother, while her father remained in Malta; he was unable to join them for a further six years. Thereafter she grew up in Chatham, Kent, surrounded by a close extended family.
