Mair was born in
Rotherham, England on 18 April 1924 to James Alexander Mair, a director of education, and his wife Helen Sumner Mair, a headmistress and educational adviser to the
Girl Guides. She attended
Dr Williams' School in
Dolgellau, Wales and studied medicine at the
University of Manchester qualifying in 1948. In 1959 she married
Derek Senior, a freelance writer and journalist, who was a member of the
Royal Commission on Local Government in England. Together they had a daughter, Jill. == Awards ==