Nikki Woolfe
Trying to encapsulate our friend Gill in a few words isn’t easy.
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For me, Gill has been a special presence in my life since I was a teenager and as such, has been ever present since we were 15/16. I will miss her dreadfully and think about her always.
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Gill went out with a North Manchester boy when we were younger and she was accepted as part of our group very quickly. Even that North/South Manchester divide didn’t stop us, although I think that as our younger selves, I thought she was much more sophisticated than I was, being a South Mancunian. That’s how we met. She became part of FZY, so she’d be at the various events we went to. We formed a firm friendship going out together in the evenings to the pictures or for dinner together in our group.
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Gill and I studied in Leeds but as she’d taken a year out, she was in the year below. Once again, she was always there to speak to or to visit.
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Later on, once we’d both settled in London, we spent much more time together. I shared a flat when I first moved to London and my flat mate reminded me that we made a Friday night dinner, I invited Gill to join us. This was the first time he met Gill and he too, became her good friend.
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Everyone who met her loved her.
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She was one of the most thoughtful people and she was insightful. We could have discussions about anything and everything. From politics to Amazon. I always admired the way she tried to always shop locally. We chatted about family – she always was interested in other people and was happier talking about others- she was a great listener.
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We recommended books and I’m desperately trying to remember a book I recommended a long time ago which she loved. It could have been Curtis Sittenfelds – American Wife. Most often, we would just talk about the everyday mundanities.
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She loved her kids and was very proud of both Mia and Zak. She was thrilled that Zak had passed through the last of his endless accounting exams and qualified and she was super proud of Mia and her a new job and was excited that she was going travelling and to see the world. She saw great things for them both. She talked about her mum and dad and how she was excited for them to move to London and she loved her brothers and sisters in law. She was a family girl through and through.
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We went for walks – On one occasion, I felt terribly guilty and worried that I’d gone too far (I lost my bearings) and we ended up climbing over tree stumps in the mud. The Nature Reserve (Darlands) was very muddy that day and this was supposed to be a short walk. But she came on other walks after that with me so I think she forgave me for leading her astray. On a couple of occasions, Gill, Wendy and I sat on Wendy’s doorstep in covid times eating delicious homemade Rocky Road biscuits and tea after a more successful walk.
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We spent time, celebrating achievements and celebrations, having dinner, going for a walk, swimming (I’m not sure she loved swimming but sometimes I had a voucher and would invite her). She never wanted to put anyone to any trouble. Recently she came with Steven and I to see the Holocaust portraits at Buckingham Palace and it was such a delightful day. We had tea afterwards and chatted the afternoon away.
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And when Andy fell ill she was truly inspirational. She was always grateful but she managed everything so nobly it was amazing- travelling there and back to hospitals.
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Her birthday was something I’d always remember. One year when we were going to New York she asked me if I could get her a key ring from the store Maceys. I was thrilled to do so. She was so grateful, so generous in her thanks. That small gift, gave her so much pleasure.
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She always kept in contact – her texts would pop up just to say hi and see how you were on so many occasions. And she was always truthful. She knew boundaries and when to say no so if she didn’t want to do something, which made it so easy to be her friend. This always meant everyone knew where they stood.
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I loved listening to her – her speeches were always something to marvel at. I wish I’d told her how clever and beautiful I thought she was.
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She thought I was her glamourous friend. She made me feel like I was beautiful and smart and she did it without any reason. She was always complimentary to everyone and made them feel special.
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She was never envious and was very happy with what she had and she never spoke badly about anyone. She was a pleasure to be with.
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Our Curry Girls group sprung up at some point. It was made up of five girls who all studied in Leeds. We would make a date every couple of months and go for a curry – it later became any food type but was a good excuse to catch up. I loved those evenings. We will still always get together and remember our dearest friend was interesting and clever and quick witted.