Tributes have been paid to a passionate netball player who has sadly died.
Lucy Nicholls, 28, was a former pupil at Fallibroome Academy and worked as a coaching development officer for England Netball.
Lucy, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in October 2016 and documented her battle with lymphoma through an online blog.
Bernard Hurst, who was assistant principal at Fallibroome during Lucy’s time at the school, was among the first to pay tribute. He said: “I remember Lucy very well even though it was 10 years since she left.
“One of her great passions at school was netball and she was a regular on the school netball team.
“Lucy was an extremely popular girl at school - popular with both staff and fellow students alike. Lucy was a very caring girl with a great sense of humour.
“She had a naturally inquisitive mind and it was obvious from her early days at Fallibroome that she was going to do well.”
He added: “As an indication of the esteem in which Lucy was held, shortly after I had put the notice of her death on the Alumni Facebook page over 6,000 friends and former teachers had visited the page, many leaving touching comments about their recollections of Lucy.”
Lucy had been living in London prior to her death on Friday, February 2. Her role at England Netball involved developing new coaching methods for younger players.
Francis Power, headteacher at Fallibroome Academy, said: “[Lucy] was exuberant, creative and energetic and was a hugely popular and highly valued member of our school community.
“As a student, she was hardworking and committed. As a person, she was lively and had a great sense of humour. Lucy made an impression on everyone who knew her and will be sadly missed by all of us.”
In a blog posted online, Lucy wrote: “I am overwhelmed by all the love and positivity that my friends, family and colleagues have shown me. I feel more special and cared for than ever and I am so truly grateful.”
She also featured in a short BBC film about artist Simon Tolhurst, who drew Lucy as part of a project to illustrate 250 patients at UCLH Hospital, London.
Lucy’s netball club, Poly Netball, also paid tribute to her via social media.
A message on Twitter read: “We are saddened to say we lost a wonderful member of our squad yesterday.
“[She] made our club that little bit brighter with her positivity and vibrancy. She faced adversity with relentless courage and she will be greatly missed. Today we are all playing for our friend xxx.”
