Isn't life simple when you know the answers? Many thanks for the advice. It worked as advertised on the first attempt and I'm extremely grateful to you. My wife will perhaps now stop beating me over the head!
I feel pathetic writing this question, but when it comes to DIY I have 2 left hands full of thumbs! While trying to replace a blown halogen bulb in a downlight in the porch, I managed to dislodge the whole socket from the surround. Now I can't replace the socket so that it remains firmly in place. T...