Whether you knew her as Carole, Mum, Aunty Carole, Mrs Dawson or even the lady at the youth club, we are all here to celebrate the life of the same wonderful lady; a life I know you all agree was cut way too short. The world deserved more of Carole Dawson, but sadly it was not to be.

I was lucky enough to have Carole as my Mother-in-Law for the last 12 years, and to be honest, I couldn’t have wished for anyone better. As soon as Rob introduced me to Carole she welcomed me in to her life and her family with open arms, love and laughter. That’s the special person that she was - if there is a stereotype Mother in Law, Carole wasn’t it!

We always had a laugh when I saw her, even when she was in hospital just a few weeks ago – that is the sort of person she was.

I used to jokingly say to her – “You’ve got a lot to answer for Mrs Dawson”, referring to Rob, and she would say “I know, I’m sorry Andrew but he’s my baby, I just want the best for him”.

I am sure you will all agree that Carole’s strength of character over the last 2 years has been nothing short of amazing. Many people in a similar position would have given up months and months ago, but she was always managed a smile and still wasn’t short of things to talk about.

Although she is no longer with us, Carole will live on in our hearts and in our minds forever, through our memories.

We all have memories of times spent with Carole, which no one can take away from us.

Some of those memories will make you smile, some will make you cry, some will make you laugh and others will just make you sit and remember.

These memories are very important and very precious and they are ours to do with what we want – so don’t be afraid to take them out of wherever you keep them and think about those times and smile, cry, laugh or just sit and think.

And remember, no one can take these memories away from you, but without regular use they can become hazy. So use them, share them, or keep them to yourself, whatever you want – there are no rules about what we do with our memories or even how we remember Carole, as long as we remember.

Let’s face it, no one wants to be forgotten.

My Gran died nearly 30 years ago, but Club biscuits, oatcakes and the smell of a new car still provoke some lovely memories of her and I treasure these moments, however brief they may be crammed into a busy day, but she is still there and still part of who I am.

It’s easy for me as I am lucky enough to have Rob in my life as a constant reminder of Carole and I can see so much of her in him and how she helped to make him the wonderful person he is.

Carole was a great support to many young people, through her work in the youth club and I know her kind words, understanding and open arms have helped many of them feel safe, and allowed them to be proud of who and what they are, not scared, ashamed or lonely. Some of these young people only knew Carole for a relatively short time, but her support, love and guidance has stayed with them for ever.

It wasn’t lost on Rob and I that Carole passed away on the day of the biggest Gay Pride that London has ever seen – lots of rainbow flags to brighten up the day and fill the world with colour and pride.