Polly Pullar: “The ‘Friend’ Brings Happiness To So Many Lives”


As part of our 150th celebrations, we asked our writers to let us know what the “Friend” means to them.

Here, Polly Pullar shares her thoughts:

“I have contributed to the “Friend” now for 31 of its 150 years. From the outset when I submitted my first tentative pieces – one about my pet sheep, Bean, and the other about my owl Sage, it has been a joy. Sheep and owls continue to be favourite subjects, and I am privileged to receive many wonderful letters from readers.

“Perhaps the most moving were those on the death of my adored collie, Kim. She had literally blown in on a gale one night having been badly beaten by her owner because he claimed she was “useless”. She was the most loyal companion I could have wished for, and despite his claims, she worked sheep perfectly. My African pygmy goats also accrued many letters and their mischievous antics caused endless hilarity.

“So here’s to the next 150 successful years. The ‘Friend’ brings happiness to so many lives. Happy Birthday and congratulations!”

Find out more about Polly in our audio interview with Polly Pullar.

Yvonne McKenzie

Yvonne works on the Features team and admits to being nosy, so loves looking after the Between Friends letters and finding out all about our lovely readers. She also looks after our health copy and enjoys writing about inspiring people that help make the articles in the magazine so interesting.