One of my favourite tales of pennies that really did come from heaven came from a big brawny guy called Willie Stuart who used to come into the barber’s shop to have his hair cut. He was a taxi driver and he liked to tease me about my mediumship because he was a good Catholic lad. So go on then, tell me how my haircut’s going to turn out, he’d say. I liked to give as good as I got and we always had a laugh.

One week he came in with a funny expression on his face and when he’d sat down and I’d tied the cape on him and asked him if he wanted his usual, he broke out, You know, I slag you lot off, but something’s happened that I need to tell you about.

What’s that then, Willie? I asked, wondering if he was about to pull my leg again.

I was skint last week, he told me. There was no business and I didn’t even have enough cash left to hire the cab for this week. I didn’t know how I was going to get by if I missed a day’s work and I didn’t want to tell my wife. So – and I swear I never did this before – I sat down and I asked my mum for help. You know she died some years ago, but I said to her, 'If you can help me, please guide me, because I’m really struggling.' The funny expression on his face was changing into a smile.

And you’ll never believe this – but you probably will because I bet this happens to you all the time – I went to the cemetery, as I do every Sunday, to take my mum some flowers, and I looked down at her grave and I did a double-take. I just couldn’t believe it. Because there was a ball of banknotes there – as though someone had had it in their fist or pocket. Twenty quid notes. And it was only enough money for a week’s cab hire, wasn’t it? His eyes were streaming at this point and he was rocking back and forth in his chair and shaking with laughter. He knew he’d got his just desserts for teasing me and Christine about the mediumship. What better proof could he have? I did warn him, though, that after that little piece of evidence, as I knew from my experience, the cosmic cash register was probably closed.