Letter: 'I wrote to ask Tony Benn for details, as my daughter had, and still has, a fear of spiders'

In December 1994 the Guardian published an interview with Tony Benn, recorded on the 44th anniversary of him taking his seat in the House of Commons. The interviewer, Megan Tresidder, reported that he presented her with "his latest prized gadget", one of 10 long-handled spider catchers that he had recently bought.

I wrote to ask him for details, as my daughter had, and still has, a fear of spiders. By return came a photocopy of an advert for the Katcha Bug Spider & Insect Trap – "Safely and hygienically catches spiders, wasps, etc, without killing them. Over 100,000 sold in Britain" – and a handwritten note of portcullis-headed notepaper: "Dear Peter, Here it is. It works well. Yrs Tony." It did.