As book endorsements go, a forward by the Archbishop of Canterbury takes some beating.

The honour was bestowed upon 78-year-old Bearsted writer Margaret Doak who has had two books inspired by Christianity published this year.

The former Religious Education teacher, of Merton Road, produced The Dance of Life – Out of Silence, a series of reflections about creation, focusing on photographs taken by her late brother Jim.

"Jim lived with me for the last years of his life and was a very creative photographer,” said Margaret. “When I studied his photos it got me thinking about the meaning of life.”

The 114-page book, priced at £12.99, carries a forward from Dr Rowan Williams who writes: “In these meditations Margaret Stokes offers us ways of reconnecting with the real world of landscape and plant life, and the animal creation as a means of becoming more human.”

Margaret's second book Wedding Feast has a theme generated from the Gospels, and is written for Christian study. It runs to 182 pages and is priced at £8.99.

She also had a book published in 1978 called The Orthodox Church, telling how the Greek, Russian and Serbian Christian faith developed in Britain.
Her latest books are available from Amazon.