THE author of a book that will be read by the Duchess of Cambridge for Children's Mental Health Week came from a Wrexham family.

The Duchess will be reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, written by Jill Tomlinson, on CBeebies Bedtime Story at 6.50pm this evening.

Children’s Mental Health Week is a national event that aims to highlight the importance of the issue, and the Duchess picked this book as the story fits with this year’s theme of Growing Together.

The author, Jill, who died in 1976, came from a Wrexham family, some of whom are still in the area.

Her father Idris Griffiths lived on Salisbury Road and her mother Myfanwy lived at Llwyn Onn Villa.

Jill was born in Cardiff when her father briefly was working there but moved to live at Cae Madoc Farm in Llangollen as an evacuee during the war.

She married a brilliant mathematician, Rolfe Tomlinson, who headed the NCB statistics department in London for many years.

Her brother Dr Mike Griffiths was head of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) which operated throughout Asia. He died only three weeks ago at the age of 93.

Members of the family live locally including Jill's first cousin, Martin Thomas, Lord Thomas of Gresford QC. He lives in Gresford with his family.

His brother, Bev Thomas, formerly a solicitor in King Street, is now living in Usk.

The author wrote a series of children's books which are well loved, such as The Cat Who Wanted to go Home and The Hen Who Wouldn't Give up.