We would like to invite you to send in your memories and photos of Hannah so that we can set up a tribute section to her on the website. If you have anything you would like to contribute please email them to hello@thehannahwhitleyfoundation.org
Today we can read about Chelsea’s memories of Hannah. Chelsea was one of Han’s close friends and is a trustee of the Foundation. We know that some of this was painful for her to write so thank you Chelsea for answering our questions and giving such a lovely insight into what Han was like as a friend.
Hi Chelsea, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Of course, I’m 29 years old, I’m the eldest sister to Jake and Robyn, daughter to Dawn and Stephen and an Auntie to three amazing little boys. I love animals of all kinds, especially my cats and all of the dogs at the rescue centre where my Mum works (owning a rescue sanctuary would be a dream!) I love nature and going for long walks, and love a good sunset. For my job I work in marketing at an incredible purpose-driven tech company, and that’s great because making a positive difference, no matter how small, to people’s lives is one of the most important things to me. Travel is one of my biggest passions (something Han and I had in common) and I’m currently remote working in beautiful Cyprus.
How did you and Hannah meet and how long did you know her for?
Hannah and I met whilst working at Clarke Nicklin, so I knew her for just over three years. The last year Hannah worked there (2017) was when we became super close and made plans to leave work to go travelling in South East Asia. We messaged and emailed each other all day every day (sorry to any old boss reading this) and I think brought a lot of joy into each other’s working days, as well as all the many many fun things we did outside of work.
Tell us more about what Hannah was like and what her friendship meant to you?
Hannah was one of a kind and to me is truly irreplaceable. Her friendship was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced, and over the time we knew each other we became one of the most important people in each other’s lives. She was incredibly funny and silly, totally passionate about everything she did, the actual life and soul of every party (and never wanted to go home from a night out!). She was also effortlessly clever, a kind soul, and fiercely loyal. As a friend she was the biggest cheerleader, never judged and always encouraged you to pursue whatever it was you wanted to do with every fibre of your being. She also made you feel special by being completely and genuinely interested in every aspect of your life – which is pretty unique! She was in awe of the world and everything in it and one of my favourite quotes that I think sums her up is: ‘There is nothing prettier in the world than a girl in love with every breath she takes’ – she was truly grateful for her life and every experience.
As one of the Foundation’s trustees how did you become involved with the charity?
I was involved from the very beginning because soon after Han passed I became really close with her mum Nicki and her brother Theo. I knew that Hannah would be devastated at the thought of leaving her family, so I wanted to spend time with them and make sure they were okay, for Han. We ended up supporting each other loads, and I don’t know how I would be where I am now without them. From early on Nicki knew we needed to do something to keep Han’s incredible spirit and essence alive and that’s where the idea for the charity came about. I said I’d do whatever I could to support, and here we are!
To anyone who has lost a friend or loved one, what advice would you give them?
Crikey, this was a tough question. I think I would just advise them to make sure they surround themselves with people who support them and lift them up, and people who know them well enough to know what they need. Sometimes you just need someone to sit in silence with you and there is nothing worse than being surrounded by people you don’t feel comfortable with. I also think just do as much of what makes you happy as you possibly can, even if that’s small things like going for a walk, having a cup of tea, and cuddling your pets, it all helps and reminds you that life is still going to be good.