My First Car: Sue Harpham bought a Punto for her son's sake

The Sheffield woman – who wrote the novel Where is Tommy? – said: “I definitely wasn’t a young driver. It was 2004 when I bought a Fiat Punto. My oldest son had just passed his test and the insurance was so high.

“I’m sure it’s the same today or even higher. It made sense for me to have the insurance and add my son’s name to the policy.”

She was 46 when she got the car and 17 when she passed her test.

And she said she has a lot of affection for the car which served her well.

“I couldn’t afford a car then,” she said. “I was married in my 20s and we made do with one car but the Punto was my first car and I liked it.

“I usually keep a car for four years or so and my second was the same so I must have approved of it.”

She also had a Vauxhall Zafira which she said made sense because of the extra space it offered.

She began her writing career properly when she found herself with more time during lockdown.

Of her novel, she said she had wanted to write one for a long time but kept putting it off due to her busy life.

She said: “I have always had a vivid imagination and written poems and stories from being a little girl but I was very shy and perhaps a little afraid that I would be laughed at, so for a long time kept my writing to myself.

“I don't know why I waited so long to write a book as it is something that I've always wanted to do and I do think I used the pressures of life to keep putting it off.

“I'm just really glad now that I found the courage to do so as it's definitely given me confidence to be more open about my writing. It's a journey I'm so glad to have made.

"I think everyone always feels they have a story to tell and I’m pleased that I told mine. It was a great experience.”