An author aged 93 has self-published three books of poetry on “love and life”.

The works, by Lee Robinson, a resident at Sunrise of Chorleywood who turns 94 in July, are titled Only Yesterday. However they is not his only written works.

“My earlier books were very technical,” he tells me. “Such as high pressure chemical processes. As I’ve gotten older I’ve ceased to be tempted to write and turned to poetry. I write about love and life.”

Lee lived in Hampstead Heath before coming to Sunrise of Chorleywood six years ago, after his wife developed vascular dementia and later passed away. Soon after arriving he formed a close bond with the care home’s community maintenance support assistant Patrick Maher, 52, from Pinner.

Patrick helped guide Lee through the self-publication process for his poetry anthologies, and Lee has in turn offered a lot of support to Patrick, who is also a self-published author. The two have been mentoring each other.

According to Patrick, Lee provided him with not only a means to write – a battered old laptop held together by Sellotape – but with invaluable feedback.

“Every time I had a chapter finished I would bring it to Lee,” Patrick explains. “He would read it and comer back with his critique, whether it was very good or awful and what I should change. We came up with some amazing ideas for it and together we created this Victorian clockwork world.”

The pair’s enthusiasm and passion has spread throughout the community’s residents after they formed a weekly creative writing circle.

The group choose a title each week and go away to write stories or poetry, then read their work to one another the following week and share thoughts and feedback.

Patrick and Lee hope that their story may be an inspiration to anyone wanting to pursue their long-hidden talents or aspirations, whatever their age.

When asked for his advice for budding writers, Patrick said: “My experience over the last few years at Sunrise of Chorleywood proves that anyone can pick up or develop a talent at any age, as long as they have enthusiasm and determination behind them.

“It has been an honour to be able to share my passion with like-minded residents. My latest novel was published only last month, but I haven’t been able to resist starting the next one already.”

Lee’s poetry collection Only Yesterday, along with Patrick’s latest novel The Clockwork Map and his earlier novel Millie Pondhopper and The Great Book of Congic are all available on Amazon.