I feel like this is something I've put off for so long - I didn't make an entry at YDH Chapel and then I saw this site was available from the memorial card at the funeral but I just didn't know where to begin. I sat next to Kirsty when we worked together in the rota team. Time has been such a bizarre concept since 2020 and I can't even remember how long we worked together. I have emails from her as far back as 2018 and I think she left our team in 2021 but it all feels more recent and longer ago at the same time.

Kirsty had me laughing daily. And I mean more than once a day too. We used to sit in a group of 4 with me and Kirsty next to each other and then 2 of our colleagues (Leanne and Nicky) behind us. I can't tell you how many times Kirsty would say something cutting (often at my expense!) that would have the 4 of us turning in our seats to laugh about it. She made coming to work a pleasure - and I definitely lost that feeling for quite a while after she left.

We stayed in touch a bit once she started her new job - sometimes she'd receive an email that wasn't for her anymore so she'd forward it to me and we'd share some "sassy" thoughts about the person who had sent it. She always had something interesting or funny to say though and that was such a big part of her.

Dan and Sophia were a HUGE part of her life. She would talk about both of them regularly. For Sophia it was stories about how stubborn she'd be about certain things (one morning before work she simply refused to wear shoes for the day which made Kirsty late). For Dan it was stories about something he'd done that annoyed her but she was never actually annoyed - you knew there was love for him behind the story and it was always something funny. I'm sorry to say it, Dan, but she once told me how much she thought you looked like Karl Pilkington - and when I saw you the other day, that really stuck in my mind because I could see the resemblance!

But it's little things like that which will stick in my memory about Kirsty. She once had a coughing episode at work and told us all she was "choking on air"! Now whenever I do the same, it's the first thing I think of. 

Her loss won't stick with me the same way it will with her closest friends and family - but as far as "work best friends" goes, I don't think I've ever had nor ever will have better than Kirsty Tait.

John