Very Many Thanks Eccles and Dave for this. I had a look at Amazon, but there were so many, so it's good to get recommendations - I'll go and have a look and order one. Happy Christmas tto You Both - and All ABers of course.
We've had an Omron upper-arm type for about 15 years now, during which time we've only had to change the batteries once. We checked it at the doctor's (who used a sphygmomanometer in those days) which proved that my wife had "white coat syndrome (blood pressure normal at home, sky-high when doctor takes it). Omron agree nicely with doctor and now the surgery uses them.
Very Many Thanks to You All and as it happens, I had an appointment with my GP this pm and she agreed with the Omron recommendations - my BP today was 140 over 80...if that means owt and she seemed to think it good!...Seasons Greetings to All.
Just a side thought: It is well known that there commonly is a "white coat" effect (so called because of the usual presence of a medical attendant) on blood pressure. This results in a slightly raised reading because of the person being conscious of the possible implications of the result. This is often taken into account by medics.