A tribute to a friend...RIP Sam

Social media has its uses, and it seems one of those uses is the quick communication of bad news.

This morning, via facebook, I discovered a good friend of mine had died.

Some of you will know her and will be as saddened and shocked by this news as I am.

I only got to know Sam (Samantha Stretch) relatively recently. I was adopted as the Lib Dem candidate for Bury South for the 2017 General Election. Having only tenuous links with the constituency, I was appreciative to have a local party whose expectations were realistic and who were very much focused on local issues. Sam was a member - and I think a relatively new one. She struck me as the kind of person who had come into politics for all the right reasons - to make a difference for her community, because she had a strong sense of social justice, because she wanted action on health services (especially mental health). She knew what she believed in and felt she was better getting involved in the struggle to change things rather than snipe from the sidelines. 

What I liked about Sam as soon as I met her was that she was obviously unconventional. She was hardly your usual Lib Dem, or usual anything really. She was very much her own person, and a real straight-talker. She didn't suffer fools or nonsense. I immediately liked her authenticity, her honesty and her positivity.

Sam had served in the Army for many years, and while she had an inescapable respect for her former employer she could also be highly critical and advocated radical changes in the way UK military forces operate - especially in relation to the mental health of service people. She had also worked in frontline NHS mental health services, and was an advocate for suicide prevention charities 

I thought Sam was exactly the kind of person the Liberal Democrats needed at a time when we were thinking of how to regenerate. She was unashamedly working class, very down-to-earth, optimistic while realistic, compassionate, people-focused and outrageously funny. I encouraged her to apply to be approved as a candidate. I'm not sure she did, but that didn't matter. My time as a candidate in Bury South might not have won me a huge number of votes, but I did gain a few friends.

Since that election myself and Sam kept in touch - she even travelled to my place once and we spent the afternoon admiring architecture while talking about (and laughing about) politics, religion, books, the military, history, music, LGBT issues (she was very supportive) and - inevitably - her experiences of how NHS mental health services work (and sometimes don't). There's little we haven't talked about to be honest - she was even a support when I was dealing with some historic abuse issues. She was a kindred spirit, and will be sadly missed.

I'm not going to write about Sam's fascinating life here, as that's best left to others who know her better. But I will pay tribute by saying what a fantastic, wonderful and caring person she was. I am privileged to have been able to call her my friend. 

Sam died in a road traffic accident, I am led to believe. Only last week she was sharing photographs of St Andrew's, the Cairngorms and Caithness as she toured Scotland - Sam loved the outdoors and especially remote places. It's hard to believe she's no longer with us.

How can you sum up such a warm, beautiful person in one word? Well, it's difficult but I'll let Sam do that for herself. I'm taking it a little out of context, but the final word on Sam's facebook timeline is "justice". That for me sums up Sam's worldview. It's what she cared about.

It's a tragedy that Sam died so young. But for those of us who knew her, the memories will last forever.

RIP Sam - thank you for everything, and especially for being you.

Update, 6.11.20: The Manchester Evening News has published a story on the circumstances surrounding Samantha's death. it can be read here.  

I knew some of this, but not all of it. At the time I did not want to talk about this, but only to reflect on what a great person Sam was. Understandably, people are heartbroken by her story. 

As I mentioned above, I only got to know Sam in 2017. But she is someone I will never forget.