"When in London, Mrs Brown concentrates on charity work. She is patron of Women's Aid, the domestic violence charity, with Richard Curtis, Fiona Bruce, Will Young and Nick Hornby, and held a party for them at No 11. She also helps with Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres.
Jim O'Neill, the chief economist at Goldman Sachs, who set up Shine, a charity to give disadvantaged children a better education, says: "She is an amazing patron. When she gave her first speech she was shaking beforehand but she was great, very down-to-earth. She is so conscientious she has read more about the subject than me."
She is happy to talk to Tories. George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, says, "I introduced myself to Sarah and John when she was pushing his pram around Westminster and she couldn't have been nicer." She has also become a mother figure to the Labour Party. When Robin Cook had his heart attack, it was Mrs Brown who went to comfort Gaynor Cook.
Mr Blunkett came to rely on her while he was fighting for access to see his son, William. "Gordon is incredibly lucky," he says. "She is a huge strength and guide, she provides real stability in this hectic and chaotic environment. She can seem quite cold until you get to know her, but she has been amazingly kind to me."
I suspect that we will hear a lot more about this admirable lady over the next few years.
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