Linda Robins, a technical writer who specialized in producing clear, accurate, and concise information on complex subjects, has passed away at the age of 72. She initially worked for an electronics company before transitioning to a financial services business. Robins was a longstanding member of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators, serving as its president in 2020. The writer and I first met when we were both campaigning to save the art deco Aldershot Lido, which was threatened with closure in 2015. Robins became a founding member of Friends of Aldershot Lido, and after the pool was saved, she worked closely with Rushmoor district council to enhance its facilities and promote it across Hampshire and beyond. During the summer, Robins organized early morning swimming for a dedicated group of 30 swimmers at the lido, and in winter, she would swim 100 lengths at the adjacent indoor pool every morning. Born in London, Robins spent her childhood on the Isle of Wight. After attending Sandown high school, she spent some time in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) with the Baptist Missionary Society, working with young children, before studying English and philosophy at the University of Kent. Her working life began as a technical writer at the electronics firm Marconi, after which she was employed by Fidessa, a financial markets software and services company. At both workplaces, she was known as a supportive and positive colleague and an excellent team manager. Robins retired from full-time work in 2019, after which she became a freelancer while also volunteering as an English teacher for speakers of other languages. She also became active in her local Labour party and was a canvasser at the 2024 national and local elections, helping to deliver the first ever Labour-run council and Labour MP for Aldershot. Her other loves were gardening, keeping tortoises, and playing the tuba in a New Orleans jazz band, the Yacht Club Four, with her husband, Keith Robins, on the clarinet. They married in 1975 and enjoyed sailing their two small yachts, one on Hawley Lake in north Hampshire and the other on Hayling Island near Portsmouth. Keith died in 2023. She is survived by two stepsons, Andy and Ric, from Keith's previous marriage, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and her sister, Hazel.
