This story celebrates a much loved person in all of our lives: Van. Born in April 1976, at a time when Britain was alive with music, football, and change. Van’s formative years were spent in High Wycombe, where she discovered her lifelong love for Wycombe Wanderers.

Van found a home in the terraces of Adams Park, cheering on the Chairboys through ups and downs. She has always stood by her team — whether it was the thrill of promotion in the 1990s or the nail‑biting FA Cup run in 2001. Supporting Wycombe wasn’t just about football; it was about loyalty, resilience, and joy - qualities that Van herself embodies. After finding her "forever friends" at Terriers and then Wycombe High School, Van went to university.

Immediately afterwards, Van turned her love for crunching numbers into a career. With a Maths degree from Imperial and a PGCE from the Institute of Education under her belt, she dove straight into teaching at a school in Wimbledon. Since then, she’s done it all as a teacher — bossing everything from the tiny tots in Early Years to the big kids in Sixth Form! But before diving into the classroom, Van went on a whirlwind adventure.

She spent a gap year roaming through South America and the South Pacific, proving she’s a certified daredevil by bungee jumping, skydiving, and paragliding her way across the globe.

Her travels — and her iconic collection of bright duffel coats and rainmacs — earned her the nickname "Paddington." Just like her furry namesake, she’s got a massive heart for Peru and a serious knack for finding adventure!

In 1996, Van met the absolute love of her life — yours truly! After nearly 30 years of shared laughter, wild adventures, and everything in between, I can certainly say that life with Van is never boring. She’s been my partner-in-crime through thick and thin. Three decades on, she’s still the one who keeps me on my toes, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

In 2002, straight after saying "I do," Van jetted away to start a new job and married life in Brunei. She kept the adrenaline pumping by heli-trekking into the jungles of Southeast Asia, unwittingly sharing her home with a king cobra, and leaping off the occasional waterfall in Borneo!

Her global tour then took her to the Emerald Isle with a move to Northern Ireland two years later, before she finally headed back to the South of England in 2006. Since then, she’s firmly planted her roots in Oxfordshire, building a life packed with love and community. But the real headline acts? Her two greatest adventures yet arrived in 2010 and 2012 with the birth of her two daughters!

She has raised them with the same warmth, love, and good humour that characterised her own childhood. And at home, there have been beloved four-legged companions: First Mutley, our gorgeous Staffy, and now Mabel, our Basset Hound who is always ready for cuddles.

Whether it’s dancing to Destiny’s Child or any other R&B, Van reminds us that joy is found in everyday moments — always laughing, partying, and living life to the full.

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