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Skydiving for Maddie and Libby

Friendship is widely considered to be one of the most valuable things we can possess in our lives. More often than not, lifelong friendships are formed and cemented at University.

Lily Breese and Maddie North were nothing more than acquaintances when they first arrived at Bath Spa University, despite being from the same hometown and attending the same school when they were younger.

It was, however, at University where their friendship blossomed, with the pair both studying Primary and Early Years Education. To save themselves from the long bus journey from Frome, Lily and Maddie started lift-sharing to campus and this was the start of their formidable bond.

Lily said of their friendship:

“We ended up commuting together every day, Monday to Friday, and we even went on placements together. We had most of our classes together and we did massive study sessions in our final year. We had a really, really amazing time at Bath Spa University together and genuinely, if it wasn't for the degree we were on, we probably would have just been acquaintances.”

After three years of graft, both Lily and Maddie looked forward to celebrating their achievements together.

Tragically, the night before her graduation, Maddie, and her younger sister Libby, both died in a car accident. Maddie never got the chance to celebrate her hard work and dedication to her studies.

Lily, now continuing her education at the University of Bristol, says that Maddie’s life and legacy acts as her motivation moving forward:

“The stuff I do now is in her memory. I'm at university and I'm trying to pursue this degree because, you know, she never got back that special day.”

In memory of both Maddie and Libby, Lily and her close friend Mya Hamilton are taking part in a charity sky dive to raise money for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, a charity nominated by Maddie and Libby’s parents.

Reflecting on Maddie and Libby’s personalities, Lily said:

"They were both just wild at heart. They had a real funny side to their personalities and had so much energy to give to the world. We wondered what we could do in their memory to raise money and keep their memory going and we thought, yeah, let’s jump out of a plane! That sounds like something they would have encouraged."

Their initial fundraising goal of £1,000 has already been smashed and Lily is hoping to continually raise more ahead of the big jump on June 15:

“I am absolutely delighted about the fundraising so far. Mya and I have both been overwhelmed by it really. Of course, we were hoping to raise a bit of money and get near the target by June but to hit it already has been amazing.”

The pair are asking those who can to dig deep to support the skydive, as Lily and Mya pay a fitting tribute to two sorely missed friends.