A WOMAN whose postcard turned up 40 years late has come forward.

Last week the Examiner carried the story of Almondbury couple Jennifer and David Palliser who were amazed when a postcard from 1969 was delivered to their Broadgate Crescent home this month.

And now Heather Stern, who grew up in the house, has come forward as the author of the postcard.

Heather, who now lives in Stafford, said: “Margaret and Brian Lacey, who live in Lepton and were friends of my parents, sent me the article in the post.

“I was flabbergasted when I saw my hand-writing.”

Heather, 58, whose maiden name was Sedgwick, sent the postcard to her parents, Vera and Alan, during the summer of 1969.

She said: “I had just finished Upper Sixth at Claremont Boarding School in Surrey and there were a group of about 15 of us on a school trip.”

Heather has vivid memories of that summer.

She said: “It was just after our A Levels and we had a wonderful time.

“One of my friends had connections with the All England Club and she got us tickets for the players’ box. I remember sitting behind Billie Jean King watching Rod Laver and Arthur Ashe play.”

Heather and her friends also visited Stratford-upon-Avon, where she bought the postcard. She said: “We saw A Winter’s Tale where Judi Dench walked across the stage naked.”

Heather can’t remember sending the postcard, but she said: “I’m not surprised I chose a postcard of Ann Hathaway’s cottage because I remember going there when I was 12 and I loved the place.

“I must have forgotten about the postcard – my parents would never have expected me to send it.”

Heather went to Greenhead Girls High School before going to Surrey for sixth form.

She said: “I was very lucky to get a place there. My parents weren’t wealthy at all – I was just an ordinary girl from Huddersfield who had a wonderful opportunity.”

Heather studied French at Lancaster University where she met her future husband. The mother-of-two now owns an estate agents in Stafford.

Her father, who worked as a designer at Taylor and Littlewood in Newsome, died in 1998 and her mother passed away this January.

Heather said: “It’s quite sad that I can’t tell her about the postcard, she would have enjoyed it.”