Hartlepool man recalls the day former American president Jimmy Carter sent him a letter

Stan Laundon, who is now 81, contacted the Mail with his tale following Mr Carter’s recent death at the end of 2024 at the age of 100.

In September 1982, Stan was visiting Georgia when he noticed a road sign for the city Plains, which is where the former president lived, and decided to visit.

He said: “I was in Georgia at the time. I was an admirer of his – I thought he was a really good president – and I saw the sign that day and I thought I would drive over to try and find him, but he was not there.”

Stan had called into the local election office and was told by a secretary that Mr Carter was not available as he was visiting Atlanta.

Shortly after, however, the former BBC radio presenter received a letter from Mr Carter thanking him for his visit and his “friendship”.

Stan said: “It came out of the blue.

"It was rather interesting because the envelope did not have a stamp on it and I was told that presidents do not use stamps. I do not know how true that is though.”

He added: “I was amazed.”

Stan spent a lot of time in the US over the years as part of his job at the BBC, which he worked at for 23 years, and because of the nation’s interest in country music at the time.

He hosted the programme Country Time, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on New Year's Day in 1971, becoming a popular radio show for years.

Stan first visited the United States in 1974 as part of his job when he toured New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

He spent seven days in Nashville, Tennessee, where he interviewed country stars Bill Anderson, Johnny Cash, Freddie Hart, Loretta Lynn, Charlie McCoy, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed and Porter Wagoner.

Stan framed the letter he received from Mr Carter which he still has today.