I have so many wonderful memories of Debbie to treasure in my heart.  Debbie and I were friends from the age of 5 when we went dancing together, then she’d come back to my house for tea and games.  So much fun and laughter, days out at Southend with my dad holding the rope while we were in the dinghy.  In our teens, taking Pepper for long walks over South Weald –the Old English were always “Debbie dogs”, never Dulux dogs.  A holiday in the Forest of Dean in the red post office van, having to put our arm out the window and push the windscreen wipers when going uphill, our first home-cooked roast chicken complete with giblets in a plastic bag inside for dinner.  She was lucky enough to meet her Prince Charming and go on to have three wonderful children, and the love shone out every time you saw them together.  We’ve celebrated big birthdays and life events together, the 50th tea party being particularly memorable with Debbie surrounded by so many friends.  Always dancing, we took part in a couple of charity danceathons – the Irish dancing attempts were hilarious, and any music event where we could get up and boogie you’d find us on the dancefloor.  Visits from Debbie and David to Staffordshire were a real highlight as you knew you were in for such a great weekend.  Recently we’ve had craft-offs over the miles, finding out how bad we are at granny squares, how to make knitting dolls “pooh”, and spent many hours on FaceTime or the phone if she wasn’t camera-ready.
Debbie was so kind, caring, fun-loving, a real ray of sunshine, a true gem.  Few people are lucky enough to have a true friend throughout their life and I’ll treasure each and every moment.  I’ll be wearing odd socks and sipping a Southern Comfort, lime & lemonade, with a non-cream cream tea every year on 18th June.  Rest in peace, all my love, Amanda xxx