If I was asked to sum Vanessa up in one word only, it would be ‘fun’ – fun to be with and fun-loving. Yes, she was many other things too - helpful, kind and caring; honest and trustworthy; understanding and a good friend; but she could never remain serious for too long. I joined Vanessa in Reception at Dyson Perrins almost 20 years ago. She used to tell people that she was a little unsure of me at first, she thought that I was rather quiet and serious. However, on the Friday of my first week, the conversation turned to underwear (goodness knows how) and I happened to mention that I was wearing my ‘Little Miss Naughty’ knickers from the M&S children’s department. That was it – she knew from then that we would get along just fine! Over the years, we have been through good times and bad times, happy and sad times together but we have never been far away from a smile and a joke, and then that well-recognised dirty laugh of Vanessa’s would ring out and all would be well with the world. I have many special memories but one in particular stands out. The Admin team had decided to go to a ‘Join a Party Night’ for Christmas. We ate our Christmas dinner and then the disco began. Vanessa liked to dance and so we spent a short while on the dance floor but she also liked a glass of wine, and she had had a couple of large ones. So, she decided that we ought to sit down for a while. Back at our table, she picked up the remains of a cracker which she proceeded to use as a microphone. Initially, she sang with gusto into the cracker herself but then cajoled others to join her for duets, etc – sometimes these were people who just happened to be walking past our table. Brilliant fun – and so Vanessa! Of course, we were all saddened by the deterioration in Vanessa’s health and how difficult it became for her to find a smile. But Karen and I went to see her a couple of weeks after she moved into the hospice, and for a short while the years fell away and we had the ‘old’ Vanessa back. We were expecting to stay for an hour or so but ended up staying all afternoon! We reminisced about past events and the people we had seen come and go, the pranks, the dressing up, the silly games we had been involved in – and we laughed. We laughed for hours; and we held on to that precious moment for that was our Vanessa, the Vanessa we knew and loved and the Vanessa that I will never forget. God bless her.