For those of you who don’t know me, I’m David, Pat’s eldest grandson, and I have the great honour of standing before you today, on behalf of our family, to share a few words in celebration of the life of our dearly loved Mum, Nan, and Great-Nan.

Finding a way to start this speech has proven one of the most challenging tasks of my life. Despite knowing from the moment of Nan’s passing that I would very much like to commemorate her life in some way, when it came to finding the words I found it near-impossible to think of anything that could do justice to the woman who has, quite simply, been the bedrock of our family for as long as any of us can remember.

In search of an answer, I began compiling a list of Nan’s qualities. Top of that list were loyalty and devotion to family, and with that I turned to my brother, James, sister, Sophie, and cousins, Henry and Charles, to ask them for their own thoughts and memories. It became clear as we began reminiscing that none of us were under any illusions that Nan was perfect, as none of us are; however, we all agreed, without prompt, that her heart was as big as her willingness to push boundaries!

As young children we remember Nan for her loving ways, most commonly shown by way of a suffocating cuddle - a tradition that she continued with her great-grandchildren, George and Evie. Together with our Grandad, Tom, Nan raised us to appreciate the value of hard work and the spoils that it can bring. Clearly, Nan’s own experiences had a significant influence on her outlook. She would often recall stories of her time as an evacuee, or of the struggles her family faced when she was growing up in Poplar, and use these to demonstrate just how much we could achieve by applying ourselves and making the most of the opportunities given to us. Nan was an incredibly proud woman, and this was evidently clear when she affectionately shared news of each of our achievements at every opportunity.

Losing Grandad eighteen years ago was a massive shock to us all, but most of all to Nan. Yet through those difficult times she showed us just what a formidable woman she could be, by forsaking her own sense of loss and turning her attention to the family around her. As a way of focusing our attentions on the future, Nan treated us all with trips to Florida, and our respective family holidays will be forever remembered, not least due to an uncanny coincidence that has come to light. It transpires that on both trips, Nan made clear her dislike of thrill rides, and being the loving grandchildren that we are, we obviously took no notice. Despite the screams and protests, I think she secretly enjoyed every minute.

As we grew older and began our adult lives, we all noticed Nan’s mischievous behaviour come to the fore. Comparisons have been made to Catherine Tate’s nan, and I can certainly attest to having witnessed Nan develop an affinity for a curse word or two. Nan was never shy about coming forward, and I can remember many a heated debate on subjects that she held dear, and on most occasions I would be the one to concede defeat. We all learnt from a young age that Nan’s views were not something to take lightly, and I’m sure there are a few of you here today who learnt that lesson only too well!

It’s clear to us all, from those of you who have joined us here today to celebrate Nan’s life, just how much of an impact she has had on so many of us. To you all, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your kind words and thoughts over these past few weeks, and for taking the time to share your own memories of Nan. Whilst the world is poorer for the loss of such a unique individual, we can take some comfort in knowing that to the very end Nan did things on her terms, and that she rests peacefully with our Grandad once more.