‘It’s brought us closer together’

Jean says: ‘After losing my husband in 2008, instead of letting my grief eat away at me, I decided to get out there and try to rebuild my life.

Having a younger friend like Sammi meant I had someone to go out and have fun with. Our friendship kept me young, and being that bit older meant that I had time to sit down and properly listen to her if she ever needed someone to talk to. Supporting Sammi over the years has been incredibly rewarding – if she ever needs me, I’m always there to offer words of advice.

Our friendship has given us both so much, and our age gap has never been an issue. If anything, it’s bought us even closer together.’