Gracie was a vivacious, out-going, friendly and amazing young woman, fiercely independent and busy living life to the full, looking forward to the future and all it promised. 

Born on 19th October 1997 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, she was the first child of Richard and Alison, being joined 16 months later by her brother Thomas.  Although her parents separated when she was 5 in 2002, she remained close to both her parents and enjoyed a busy life and close bond with both.  In 2006, her sister Abi was born to Alison and her partner, Dave.  All three children have a close bond and share many interests.  Gracie was a very big family person and loved spending time with her siblings and extended family.

At school, she was a well-liked and conscientious pupil, excelling particularly in music and art.  She was always singing and dancing from an early age and loved to perform.  She was involved with various dance and theatrical groups over the years and loved all sorts of music, taught herself the piano and was always singing at home. Gracie loved all types of music, she loved going to concerts and events.

Gracie loved going out and was a sociable and fun-loving young woman. She has a lot of friends and was always out and about doing something.  She was no wilting wallflower and always stood up for herself and her friends and family, very much a no-nonsense person and she could be very outspoken, yet she was so well loved by all who knew her.  Her smile would light up the room as she sparkled wherever she went; you couldn’t help liking her.  

She was also incredibly hard working and after leaving college she had many jobs to help support her lifestyle and many hobbies and her beloved horse.  

Swimming became a big part of her life.  She joined Dronfield Swimming School, passed all her badges and went on to become a swimming teacher and lifeguard.

Gracie always joked she wanted to be a mermaid and she sure swam like one! 

Gracie’s overwhelming love and passion was for horses.  She started riding at about age 11 and it soon became her main focus in her life. She had her own horse, Amber a few years later, and then along came Paddy. Gracie taught Amber to jump, and she competed in many shows, winning rosettes and after Amber’s death in 2019, she continued with Paddy.  

Sadly, Gracie’s life was cruelly cut short in June 2021 at the height of her life when she had so much to live for and so much more to give. We have so many happy memories to cherish but a life cut so short in such an awful way has left us all bereft and we must make sure that her legacy and memory live on; let Gracie’s message to us all be ‘It’s time for change’ so that no other person and family has to live with the pain and devastation this tragedy has caused.