I first met Sarah over 40 years ago when she was the President of the Student Union at Oxford College of Further Education and I was involved in student politics at the University. We became good friends and shared many experiences over the years. I helped make the food for her wedding, where I remember she shone with joy, she was non-godmother, or ‘madrina’ as they say in Italy, to my son Jago, we supported each other through some tough times and shared a love of cats and of textile art. When I think about Sarah, some qualities stand out strongly. She was very brave. She faced lots of challenges during her life, including moving to Italy and running her own business, getting through severe medical problems and moving back to the UK after Brexit. And you could rely on her to face up to situations and tell it like it was, often with wry humour. She was really talented and resourceful . She had a great skill for teaching English in a way that engaged each student, she produced absolutely beautiful art quilts, she once built her own kitchen from scratch. And she was a steadfast friend and a very loving person and, most of all she loved Sean, and her sister Nicky and her niece Georgie and nephew Harry. She has gone far too early and is a great loss to all of us. She was my friend and I miss her.