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Sarah Caton deactivated

27 Nov - 15 Dec

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Our wonderful friend and colleague Sarah Caton died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on 15 December. As the fabulous Chief Officer of ADCS from its inception, Sarah had a tireless commitment to her work and was passionate about the growth and influence of the Association. She led with humour and integrity, and was a fierce supporter of her staff team. Sarah was the heart and soul of ADCS; she drew people together around friendship, fun, immense volumes of work and a shared purpose. The outpouring of love from across the country when we found out she was ill demonstrated her place in the hearts of so many. We have lost a dear friend, an advocate and a leader. She was an inspiration and we will miss her hugely, but her legacy will live on in our lives and in our work. ADCS is the Association it is because of her. In lieu of flowers Sarah asked for any donations to go Macmillan Cancer Support - https://tributefunds.macmillan.org.uk/In-Memory/Sarah-Caton

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15-02 2022 18:50 View / Comment (0)

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12-01 2022 12:47 View / Comment (0)

jane parfrement

jane parfrement

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Sarah, like many I have been putting this off - nothing we write feels adequate to describe you and the hole left by your passing. We often describe people has having made an impression on us but you were like a bulldozer on a straw house , you just swept everyone along . You did that through your humour, determination, and passion and if all else failed a glass of something cold ( bit of a theme emerging from these memories!). Like many I will never figure out how you managed to function on so little sleep and so much partying and still put the rest of us to shame with you sharp observations. When I got my new job you were amongst the first to congratulate me and observe the opportunity would be there us to work together more closely once I started operating from Manchester- sadly that time didn't come. I know a life should be counted in the minutes made the most of and on that basis you outlived 99% of the human race but I can't help but be sad that you are still gone too soon.

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11-01 2022 18:15 View / Comment (0)

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11-01 2022 17:55 View / Comment (0)

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12-01 2022 00:34 View / Comment (1)

Dez Holmes

Dez Holmes

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Alright mate? I’ve been putting this off; worried I can’t do you justice and worried my grammar won’t be up to scratch. But I know you’d say what you always said when I was dithering and doubting - you’d tell me to stop being bloody daft and get on with it. I first met you ‘getting some fresh air’ outside the Midland. I watched you swagger towards the Important Government Person and their entourage as though you were about to offer your autograph, and I knew immediately I wanted to be in your crew. I was a few weeks into a new job that I was terrified I wasn’t posh enough to do. I don’t know how long we were sat there, maybe less than 20 mins - but I walked away from that conversation feeling 3 foot taller. You lifted people up like that; anyone who needed it. For a skinny lass you weren’t half strong. Your impact and influence is boundless, so many of us owe you so much. There’s few people as clever as you, even fewer (if any) who are as much fun to boot. Wit as dry as a fine Sauvignon, a literary genius with the vocabulary of a sailor. And a heart so impossibly big you somehow managed to make all of us feel special. A text from you could have me howling with laughter on the bleakest of days, and you were always the gallery I played to. Although you never managed to teach me what a split infinitive is (and I will never care, sorry) I learned so much from you. And I laughed so hard with you. I miss you, you magnificent queen. xx

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11-01 2022 17:01 View / Comment (0)

Anton Florek

Anton Florek

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I first met Sarah in 2001 in Manchester when she joined the small central team as the Society of Education Officers was morphing into what became ConfEd and then some years later, the ADCS. From the start, she was a comrade in arms working tirelessly to create a coherent and principled voice for those charged with overseeing our public education and social care services for children and young people. Feisty and uncompromising when it came to doing the right thing, she was a tour de force to work with and I recall so many post annual conference bar sessions where despite so few hours sleep she reflected on how well the conference had gone and what the challenges for the following year might be as we sipped our G&Ts and she prepared for a heavy night of "her time"! She was without doubt the right person to steer the creation of the ADCS and then drive it forward to become the champion organisation for children and young people that it is today.

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11-01 2022 15:37 View / Comment (0)

Cathie Williams

Cathie Williams

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Sarah was incredibly generous when I started work for ADASS and she always made me feel her professional sister. She was wise (and occasionally irreverent) and passionate about children and families and the interfaces we had in relation to inequalities. She's a great loss but we've had a real gift to live and work alongside her.

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10-01 2022 23:35 View / Comment (0)

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10-01 2022 23:19 View / Comment (0)

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10-01 2022 22:46 View / Comment (0)

Charlotte Ramsden

Charlotte Ramsden

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As a much loved friend and an inspirational work colleague, Sarah you have given so much. My life and the work of ADCS has been so much richer because of you. From feisty meetings on important issues to nights spend putting the world to rights over a drink, your influence has been immense and you have left a huge hole in our lives. Your support for me as President in another Covid year has been awesome even when you were ill. Fun, friendship and incredible commitment made every day working a pleasure. I miss you hugely but your legacy will live on and I can only say thank you for being you. You lived life to the full.

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10-01 2022 21:07 View / Comment (0)

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10-01 2022 11:37 View / Comment (0)

Gail Hopper

Gail Hopper

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My difficulty still is believing that Sarah is no longer with us in person. The messages here show the enormity of this loss. A fabulous, strong and inspiring woman, colleague and friend to so many. My memories go back 15 years when invited to join a policy group. I was unsure as I met this really clever, scary person who of course offered great encouragement and the warmest of welcomes. In the years that followed, she made me and others feel part of the wonderful ADCS family. I was continually impressed by Sarah’s leadership, strength and sharpness. I loved her humour, her refusal to tolerate the silliness we faced from government at times and how she responded firmly, on our behalf. Her ability to persuade us to do whatever ‘favour’ she had in mind, when she appeared with that smile and finished with “cheers my dear”. So many of us had the Midland experience - a late night in the bar with Sarah when doing a 9am workshop - always a bad idea, though she’d always appear on time, no breakfast, fresh as a daisy. An amazing woman who loved life and professionally was fully committed to getting it right for children. Gone much, much too soon, but left a great legacy behind.

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10-01 2022 11:05 View / Comment (0)

Steve Crocker

Steve Crocker

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Where to start? I got to know Sarah through ADCS work, she initially sized me up - does this bloke know what he's talking about? - and having just about passed the test we bonded over a shared love of Elvis, Manchester, swearing and and our own backgrounds. Sarah was a brilliant leader in her in right and had an unerring instinct to do the right thing by children. In all my time working with her I can't think of a time when her policy instinct was wrong - although she could also accommodate the politics of necessity. She built up ADCS from scratch and built a fantastic team around her, shaped in her image but not identical, that will carry on her work- a great achievement in itself. But more than anything I'll miss my mate. Miss those long nights putting the world to rights, sharing experiences, laughing and then laughing some more. Oh and swearing - I met my match with Sarah. We never did get to have the party though. Thanks for everything mate.

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08-01 2022 16:39 View / Comment (0)

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07-01 2022 12:15 View / Comment (0)

Sally Burlington

Sally Burlington

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I had the great privilege to know Sarah since working with her on Care Matters reforms shortly after ADCS was created. She was a constant in the world of children's policy from that time onwards - sharing wisdom, advice, and constructive challenge with great clarity to officials, ministers and partners across the sector. She was the person I would call for advice when something difficult needed to be addressed with government or within local government. She was utterly trustworthy, extremely expert and I always felt really flattered to be included in the list of "my dears". She was also one of the first to reach out to me privately when I shared details of my own childhood challenges, which was typical of what others are saying about her ability to be a friend as well as tremendous colleague to so many of us. That ADCS is such a huge success and so very well respected is a real tribute to her leadership and expertise. But we will all miss her for so much more than that. I will always treasure the lessons she leaves us in being able to share her humanity and humour whilst keeping us all focused on what really matters for children. We will miss you hugely Sarah x

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06-01 2022 10:03 View / Comment (0)

Graham Archer

Graham Archer

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The thing that I suspect will linger longest in my memories of Sarah will be her throaty laugh....which spoke so much of the joy she got out of life and of the combination of passion, commitment and fun which she brought to her work and to her life. I had the privilege of knowing Sarah for more than ten years - and knew from the off of her commitment to children, to ADCS and to the system - she was protective and fierce in pursuit of the interests of all of those. A little more slowly, I came to appreciate her love of life and capacity for friendship and fun - which were huge. I feel proud to call her a friend as well as a colleague. Sarah. It's a tragedy that you've gone so soon. You'll be hugely missed!

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05-01 2022 21:58 View / Comment (0)

jacky tiotto

jacky tiotto

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I didn't know you as well as others Sarah though I did know you for over a decade. My memory of you is as a colleague always ready for work and fun in equal measure. I felt your passion, I was attracted to your smile and your fun and I had huge respect for the masterful things you pulled off professionally. Many would not be as they are now without you. I am so sad and sorry you died so young and with so much more to give. Long live your memory. Thank you for your loveliness. Jacky

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05-01 2022 11:45 View / Comment (0)

Maggie Atkinson

Maggie Atkinson

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Sarah in mere words? She was AMAZING. She could capture with a withering look what everybody else at the table was thinking; was fearless and passionate in defending the rights of children through the support she and ADCS gave to the leaders whose daily work was to keep them safe, support, nurture and educate them. She encouraged us to face whatever came at us with grace, humour, and an edge of cynicism about the shenanigans we all dealt with. She had the wickedest sense of the ridiculous. When I was Prez, SHE was the one who said "would a young person help you do your inaugural speech?" SHE was the one who said "yes! let's have a poet in residence at the conference, bring Lemn!" When we worked together responding to the horror of Baby Peter Connolly's death and all that followed, she was the one with the steadying hand, the horizon scanning mind and eye. She dealt with the rolling round of Presidents year on year with immense professionalism and a steely determination to make sure we understood it wasn't about us, but the ADCS and its members. Beyond doubt, her amazing work in supporting me as Prez was what led me to believe I could be Children's Commissioner. My boss had told me and I'd laughed. But I believed Sarah. When I heard of her diagnosis I sent her a text that started with a volley of swearing about fate and unfairness and she came right back with a "Sarah" of more, before she told me she intended to burn every candle at all ends until the last. Gone far too soon, so very cruelly and far too quickly. To quote a North West well worn phrase: "I loved the bones of her." Burn bright Sarah, new star.

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04-01 2022 12:04 View / Comment (0)

Gary Dumbarton

Gary Dumbarton

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Without a shadow of doubt I’m a better person for having known Sarah. She’s had my back for so many years as my boss and my friend and I can’t quite imagine what life will be like without her in it. Her honesty, her spirit, her trust and her joy of life is a lesson to us all – she was so full of love for her friends and family – including her work family. The biggest tribute I can pay her is that i’ve adopted the mantra “what would Sarah do; what would Sarah say” – I know I’ll try my best to do the right thing and say the right thing – or know when to count to 10 before I say something. Everyone who knew her knows what a woman she was. We’ll remember her with a smile and for the force of nature she was – think she’d raise a glass to that… Love you my dear, sleep well x

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31-12 2021 14:46 View / Comment (0)

Jenny Coles

Jenny Coles

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Dearest Sarah so passionate for ADCS, for children and for having a good time! Working alongside Sarah especially during the pandemic 20/21 year was such an honour and like being on a rollercoaster! She spoke out from the beginning about free school meals to ministers and government officials and it was fitting that a certain Manchester footballer finished the job off that she started. Courageous, at times outrageous and always absolutely fabulous! So much of you and your achievements will always be with us. Will miss you greatly.

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30-12 2021 12:17 View / Comment (0)

Alison O'Sullivan

Alison O'Sullivan

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We all deal with grief differently. I go quiet, sometimes very quiet. For Sarah I am silent. But I can and must write. Sarah was simply the most gracious person I’ve ever known. This may not be the most obvious epithet when you remember her strutting her stuff late at night at conference, or when witnessing the application of her colourful lexicon of Mancunian expletives in response to the latest policy mis-step! But gracious she was. Sarah had a gift for seeing the potential in people and the courage to find ways of bringing out the best in them. She was unassuming herself, gaining her satisfaction from the success of others. But our successes were her successes. She was a kind supportive friend. She believed in me more than I believed in myself and her generosity and wise counsel enabled me to do things that I simply could not have done without her. But for me, the manner in which she handled her death shone a bright light on the way Sarah lived her life: full on, uncompromising and clear about what was important for her; having a good time and surrounded by people who loved her. Early on following her diagnosis she looked me in the eye (as I know she did others) and told me that she was not afraid. I found this hard to understand, but I completely believed her. Sarah also told me that she was going to spend the time that she had left with the people she loved and enjoying herself to the last. She did that with the usual gusto and determination – her increasing frailty hardly holding her back from the many long lunches and dinners which filled her diary to overflowing right to the end. And she did all that with tremendous grace. I’m so grateful that during her illness so many people were able to tell her the difference that she had made to their lives and the huge contribution that she made to our work. She died knowing she was loved and valued. Sarah truly leaves a massive legacy from her work. But she also leaves a massive legacy from the love and friendship which she gave to others. We are all richer for having known her. And we will be forever poorer for her loss. Rest in Peace, m'dear x

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29-12 2021 17:48 View / Comment (0)

sally rowe

sally rowe

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Sarah for many years as an AD and as a DCS I admired you from a far managing to keep us all under control even after one of those legendary conference nights! Still with that bright smile and so much energy and enthusiasm. But its only in more recent times I have got to know you much better as a person and to be privileged to see the real Sarah that so many others on here know so well. When Clive asked me to consider the Hon Sec role his selling point was " it will be alright as Sarah looks after you" and he was so very right. I will definitely miss our catch ups and you steering me in the right direction. But most of all am very sad that I didn't get the chance to know you even better. Thank you for all that you have done for children and families we all owe so much to you and the fabulous woman that you are will never be forgotten by any of us xx

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28-12 2021 22:39 View / Comment (0)

Debbie Jones

Debbie Jones

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Goodbye to my very dear friend-so many crazy memories...it has been unbelievably hard to put proverbial pen to paper...even for me, a so called wordsmith for whom words come so very easy ..but not this time.Your death may have been expected, prepared for(not least by you..)...you very definitely did it 'your way' in true Sarah style...but the shock that you are just not here has left a gaping hole that hurts real bad. So you stand in front of me with your wonky smile and those eyes that cut through the crap and I weep....What to say..except you may have gone the way you planned but far far too soon.So dear Sarah, what have you given me? given us all?This is personal...you and I go back a very long time.I still remember you telling me very authoritatively back in 2006 that as I was still a 'pretend' acting director I was not entitled to attend the first national Childrens Services Conference -who was this scary tough woman to stop me in my tracks?...( not a 'No' I took from many before or since!). And so it began..as others have said...you did it all..And you were so very much more than the woman who could outlast us all into the early hours and then emerge sharp , smart and awake at 7.30am...you had a complexity and a depth I suspect you shared with just a few.So very many high points...I won't forget walking through Brixton in 2010 with you nagging me on the phone to put myself forward as ADCS Vice... President...We all talk of the honour and privilege of becoming President...for most of us it will have been a Career high point..in no small measure down to you Sarah.Your talent of capturing each of our unique style and contribution and fashioning it into something great and enduring was second to none.All of us have you to thank for the wisdom;the words and the support that made that role , which for you and for the sector, so pivotal in terms of its impact then, now and for the forseeable future.All of our successes..us Past Presidents-owe those special moments to you..you who always stayed in the background.The limelight may have been ours...but the hard graft and the enduring impact was down to you. Sarah, you became a close friend and confidante..we shared both secrets, laughs and pain a plenty.This will always be a privilege and I feel that loss so keenly. I, like others, have had to become used to saying goodbye to too many dear friends in the recent past.Yes I know it was the life lived that mattered most and not the one lost.But being you..at no point did you succumb to that vile disease...you just carried on; living; laughing;sharing and crying with us all till the end..only you could do that.So yes, no doubt I will raise many glasses in the weeks to come; but more than that I will remember those words...Thank you.

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23-12 2021 14:40 View / Comment (0)

Rachael Wardell

Rachael Wardell

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I have stopped by a couple of times to share some memories of Sarah, and each time been too overwhelmed to type. Trying again... It's more than ten years since I had my first conversation with Sarah when I was new to local government children's services, tentatively trying to work out how all the bits fitted together and wondering whether maybe I should connect with the ADCS Workforce Development Policy Committee. I couldn't have hit upon a more briskly helpful, or warmly welcoming individual. I've been part of the ADCS family ever since, and in all that time Sarah has been the matriarch at its heart. I can't begin to imagine the association without her. She always knew so much, cared so much, connected so much. It was wonderful to work with her, think with her, plan with her, laugh with her, dance with her, drink with her. I could go on and on, but everyone who knows and loves her knows this. She was always very generous about sharing the credit for any ADCS successes, though we all know that she was a huge central contributor and driving force; she was endlessly supportive and encouraging to the brilliant team around her, who she polished into something truly exceptional; she was fantastically credible in all her dealings with the many crucial partner organisations that connect with ADCS, including - of course - DfE, and I learned so much about strategy (and tactics) from watching such a pro at work. My favourite memories of Sarah are of staying up late at conferences and policy seminars and putting the world to rights over a drink or several. It's a matter of some personal pride that I once (but only once!) managed to follow a long night with her by getting up before she did in the morning! I will continue to think "how would Sarah deal with this?" any time I get stuck, and I will miss her hugely.

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23-12 2021 13:19 View / Comment (0)

KAREN REEVE

KAREN REEVE

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So sorry to have to say goodbye to a lovely friend... I loved our trips out to find a new veggie restaurant when I visited Manchester and especially remember a trip round the Christmas market and sharing quite a few gluhweins with you! How come we never had sore heads the next day?? Your energy, capacity to work what seemed like 23 hours a day and your love and passion will long be remembered lovely lady. You are so being missed xxx

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22-12 2021 19:39 View / Comment (2)

Matt Dunkley

Matt Dunkley

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Farewell my lovely friend. You started as a slightly scary colleague 19 years ago, and became a dear friend. I never stopped being in awe of what and who you knew, your work ethic, your ability to drink anyone under the table, your capacity for small acts of kindness, your powers of recall, and your ability to get up and function about 2 hours after a big night. You were clever, funny and warm and joyously intolerant of bullshit. You loved literature, music, gossip, your family and above all, life. All of these virtues were never more present than when you faced death, with no fear and with searing honesty. Because of your honesty and bravery, many of us were able to spend time with you and tell you this before you died- you gave us the gift of knowing you knew how we felt about you before you went. I will so miss the birthday and Christmas cards you never failed to send, the many times you checked in to see how I was, your loyalty as a friend in any circumstances, and the many, many laughs and glasses of wine. Having had the privilege of being President, I know the fundamental truth that you did most of the work, did your level best to make us look good in spite of ourselves, and never took any of the credit. I ,and we, will miss you so much. Go well, and as you always said , "Cheers, me - dear" !

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22-12 2021 18:06 View / Comment (0)

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21-12 2021 14:41 View / Comment (2)

Katy Block

Katy Block

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I had all planned on knowing Sarah for a very long time, or at least as long as she’d tolerate my presence in her life. She was a consummate professional by day and the life and soul of the party by night. I could see the occasions when I ordered a cup (or even pot!) of tea on a staff night out sorely tested her patience but thankfully this wasn’t considered a P45 infringement! On a professional level, Sarah was exacting, she had high standards and expected the best from us, at all times, but she would never ask anything she wasn’t prepared to do herself, including stuffing envelopes or making up name badges. She was more than a manager, she was a mentor and a good friend, taking time out to help each of us in the team find a way through queries or challenges, giving us space to reflect and grow. There were lots of recurring phrases and words in the many the tributes shared with us over the last few days and weeks: sharp, intelligent, formidable, principled, champion, warrior, fearless, funny, passionate, caring, northern, wine lover, red pen connoisseur. She was all these things and more. Like all of us Sarah was a bundle of contradictions: • She was strong and could give the impression of being hard but she was big hearted and so thoughtful. We lived close together and from time to time during the various lockdowns, she would turn up on my doorstep unannounced with flowers or sweet treats • She was glamorous and rarely seen without her heels, even when she had a bad back, but she was also a big fan of fancy dress and the onesie • She enjoyed the finer things in life, such as expensive wines and dining in Michelin starred restaurants, but she was equally enthusiastic about a finding a new backstreet curry house or having an illicit pie and chips when we had a take away in the office for lunch. I recently read an article detailing the five stages of grief in which the author described a further stage, finding meaning, not in death but from the life of a friend or loved one. In acknowledging what they meant to us and recognising how knowing them shaped the person we are. Sarah would always be in favour of one last drink, buying those shoes or being frank in feedback about yet another misguided idea from government. I increasingly find myself thinking: “What would Sarah do?” Be braver, for sure. I always knew ADCS was strong, tight team. And, because of this space and support she gave us, I thought it was a collective, but really it was her gang and I’m glad, that for a while, I got to be in it.

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