Tea towels have a tale to tell

Tea towel tales of Sidmouth, which evoke memories of a last holiday to the town, have been shared worldwide by an avid collector.

Barbara Howard, 63, who writes the blog myteatowel.com and has amassed more than 400 of the items, said a pair she bought from the resort remind her of her late mum.

Barbara was prompted to visit the town to add to her ever-growing catalogue after remembering a phone call made by her mother, Beatrice Howard, from her hotel while on her last-ever holiday.

She said: “I do have a tinge of sadness associated with Sidmouth, because that was the last holiday my mother went on. Not long after, she became ill.

“When I look at the tea towels, with seafront hotels with verandas, it is just like I have always imagined my mother on holiday. I could not resist buying them for the memories they evoked.”

Barbara, from Leicester, remembers her mother ringing her from a hotel in Sidmouth, saying she and her friend were on the veranda drinking gin and tonic and that she was having a good time.

She said: “Most people think I am barmy. I cannot remember ever setting out to collect tea towels, but they are lovely mementos.

“It’s become a bit of an obsession.”