Her father, George Pickering, was a test pilot for Vickers Supermarine and with R.J. Mitchell and Jeffrey Quill, helped to develop the most iconic airplane of the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire.

He recorded more than 1,000 test flights, survived two crashes and met his death in a tragic accident in a Bren gun carrier.

Jennie tells his story in her acclaimed family history – When the Clouds Roll By. She also records how her mother coped with the loss and how with help from Vickers she and her sister Ann attended the Godolphin School in Salisbury where Jilly Cooper was her friend.

Her research and subsequent magazine articles on that period gave her the inspiration for her latest book, the novel, Give us this Day.

In 1988 Jennie founded the Rockbourne Fair which has raised more than £700,000 for charity. The first fair took place in Jennie's garden and raised £75 for the British Red Cross and 20 years later the last one organised by a local committee led by Jennie saw a profit of £53,000 which was donated to various local charities.

The Fair is now run by a committee, of which Jennie is Honorary President, and supports The Stars Appeal at Salisbury District Hospital, for further details about Rockbourne Fair see their website at  www.rockbournefair.org.uk

During her years running Rockbourne Fair Jennie and her committee supported the local research charity, Leukaemia Busters and donated nearly £126,000 to them. Leukaemia Busters is a small research charity dedicated to finding antibody based treatments for currently incurable forms of leukaemia.  Based at Southampton General Hospital, they receive no government funding and are wholly reliant on public donation.  Jennie has been a Trustee of Leukaemia Busters since 2009.  For further information see www.leukaemiabusters.org.uk.

In 2002 Jennie was awarded the MBE for services to charity.

Her other interests include painting, reading, playing tennis and spending time in her lovely home in France, (available for rental with www.rent-in-france.co.uk ).