I met Emma at Sconce Hills High School when we sat next to each other in Metalwork aged about 12. Both hopeless and feeling like complete fish out of water we bonded over an inability to operate a lathe and spent the time giggling on the back row. We stayed good friends throughout school with key memories being an epic poem on potato blight that Em wrote me during a history lesson (‘all day long we pick potatoes, some are big, some are small, some have potato blight’ - dont ask me why this reduced us to tears of laughter or why it still makes me laugh to this day but it does!), Emma taking her jumper off while waiting for the start of a hurdles race on sports day, hearing the gun go off and running towards the first hurdle with her jumper still stuck over her head. (It didnt end well) and finally her christening me Frogmella after the Harry Enfield characters Wayne and Waynetta’s first child. I got letters addressed to Frogmella well into my late twenties and still have a fair few frogs about the house as a result.

We stayed friends throughout our teenage years and the tribulations of first boyfriends, driving tests and discovering the joys of socialising. I remember working at Smiths together - i was in Books, Emma in Records (those were the days!) at opposite ends of the shop so ideally placed to track good looking boys as they passed through. I got a many a phone call to say ‘so and so is heading your way!’.

Em went to Birmingham to uni and i went to Norwich so we became penpals which she kept up with relentlessly even as i went to Norway and Germany for my language degree. I still remember the benusement of the Norwegian teacher at the school i was at who had the job of handing out the mail when he said ‘there’s a letter for Frogmella Peace - Nichola, can that be you?!’ Yes, yes it could be.

We made it through uni and Emma met Matt. I take some credit for persuading Emma to go on their first date as ‘he probably isnt an axe murderer but in case he is, meet in daylight, dont leave the restaurant with him and tell me when you’re going - i can call you mid way.’

We continued the tradition of Christmas Eve in the Lord Nelson with Owen, Charlie and others with the ever patient Mr Cooper only occasionally popping down when we returned to Em’s house to continue the party to point out that technically it was now Christmas and could we possibly turn the music down a notch.

I was honoured to be Emma’s bridesmaid but will never forget the HUGE bridesmaid dresses that arrived from America - Em having not only added a size on for all of us ‘just in case’ but also forgotten that US and UK sizes are very different 😄 My size 14 was a size 20 with Sarah’s size 8 a size 14 - which meant i fitted perfectly in hers but you could have got three of her in mine! Fortunately a fabulous dressmaker saved the day and slimmed all three dresses down to perfection. I will also never forget the pure euphoria of the call i got after Elissa was born - Emma was on cloud 9.

Sadly we found it harder to stay close friends in more recent years but Emma has never been out of my thoughts - and will never be. Em, i miss you so much, i hope you’ve found peace, i will never forget you and all of the laughs that we had. 

lots of love, Frogmella x