Claudia Lawrence and Lisa Welford were 'inseparable' friends from childhood - but 20 years after the photo was taken, Claudia went missing, and this year Lisa was murdered
As they smiled for a holiday photo in Torquay, the tragic destinies of two 'best friends' were unimaginable.
She recalled the girls being "inseparable" and spoke of Lisa, whom Claudia affectionately called 'Lee Lee', as being like a "shadow" to her daughter. Joan expressed her empathy for Rita, 86, saying: "For Rita, this is the first Christmas without Lisa. It will be so hard. I will pray for Rita on Christmas Day, like I do every day, to help her through," sharing that people praying for Claudia brings her comfort.
Joan concluded: "People might say she has closure, but any parent who has lost a child, never has closure, because it's the wrong order of things. You can never close that chapter of your life." Reminiscing about family holidays taken together in Torquay, staying at the Toorak Hotel, Joan recalled, "When the girls were at St Andrews both families started going on holiday together in Torquay and they would stay at the town's Toorak Hotel."
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