I know Joyce because she was good friends with my Nana, Shirley Brown. They were Social Workers together and shared a great faith in God, I'm sure that they must have had some very interesting discussions together. My Nana passed away when she was 56, also of cancer and also spent her last days in St. Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich. I'm so glad that we are raising funds for this great charity. Joyce did my Nana's funeral which must have been very difficult for her, but my mum said that it was a lovely service (I was only 2 at the time).

My mum (Sarah) stayed in contact with Joyce, and in recent years we have all been on Icon painting courses together. I got to know Joyce better whilst doing this and she always sat with me and mum.

My fiancé (Colin) and I are getting married on Saturday 10th September (in a few weeks time!) When our vicar said that he could no longer take the service I couldn't think of anyone better to do it than Joyce, it just seemed so appropriate since she did my Nana's funeral. The day I called her and asked if she would marry us (I left a message on her answer phone), she told me that at the time she had funnily enough been having lunch with her old Social Worker friends, and she was sure that if Nana was still alive she would have been with her that day. Joyce of course agreed to marry us and we were delighted. Sadly, at the beginning of this year she told me that she was really unwell, not knowing what was wrong at the time, and she decided not to do our wedding in case she wasn't well enough. (We have found someone else to take the service.) We invited her to the wedding anyway but of course she hasn't made it, I would have loved for her to have been there, we will be thinking about her. I am sad that Colin didn't get to meet her, she went so quickly in the end, she was such an amazing person and so unique. 

My mum found a letter that Joyce had sent to Nana when she had cancer, which seemed typical of the kind of spiritual discussions that they probably used to have, so my mum sent it back to Joyce and she said that it brought her some comfort on what was a bad day when she opened it. It's nice to think that they are back together now. 

Unfortunately, I can't make it to her funeral tomorrow but I hope that it is a wonderful day, with a packed Church and hopefully some of their old Social Worker friends there! My mum Sarah will be there.

Lots of love Joyce, we are going to miss you so much x Bethany Alleston xxx