I got to know Chris when I started working as a radiographer at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre where she was a receptionist. Chris was looking for company to go to a Meatloaf concert and her mum, Olive, suggested asking me. I was happy to go along and would she like to go to a Cliff Richard concert? ... and so started a long friendship which encompassed more concerts, musicals, plays, theatre, sometimes staying overnight, sometimes with Lesley.

Chris had an excellent knowledge of London and we would often go on guided tours, visit museums and art galleries and much more.

A particular memory is of staying at a central Birmingham hotel in the middle of December for a Cliff concert. In the middle of the night the fire alarm went off and we spent an hour or two on the walkway outside. The hotel opposite took pity after a while and allowed us into their foyer until we were able to go back to our rooms when the culprit had been found - an overheated computer!

So many memories of our excursions, a unique friend, taken too soon but at peace now. Rita xx