Louise Drake (11 Sep 1992 - 13 Dec 2017)

In loving memory of Louise Drake who sadly passed away on 13th December 2017.

Louise certainly burned brightly in her short life. She was born in London on 11th September 1992, a younger sister for Joe and daughter for Heather and Ian. Both her parents worked at the BBC at that time, so she and Joe spent their formative years in the nursery there.

Louise’s character, especially her independent streak showed itself early on. One of her first phrases, when anyone tried to help her dress or eat, was: “No, I do it!” It was a determination that also got her into trouble at times. On holiday in France, when she wasn’t quite two, she climbed on the cooker and brought the whole thing, plus a pan of boiling water, down on her head. This led to a two-week stay in a French hospital but luckily the horrific scars faded almost entirely. It also elicited a wonderful question from a nurse, anxious that she wasn’t eating, “What is her favourite cheese?” For a two-year old? Only in France!

When she was five, the family moved from London to Holt where Louise and Joe settled into the local primary school, making many good friends there. Louise then went on to John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge, to a somewhat turbulent academic career. She never found toeing the line easy! But again, strong friendships, many of which continued for the rest of her life, saw her through.

Out of school, she was often unorthodox in her choices. As well as the more conventional hamsters, she kept three ferrets as pets and was the only one who could handle them without being bitten. She was always a huge animal lover, from the family dog, Socks, to an abandoned litter of puppies in Spain, or hedgehogs in danger of being run over.
Instead of the violin or clarinet, she took up playing the drums and apologies are probably still due to our long-suffering neighbours.

Although she may not have always applied herself to school work, she was a hard worker. From the age of 16, Louise worked in the Tollgate pub – in the bar and the deli. By the time she left, three years’ later, she was one of the longest serving members of staff. Those who live in Holt will know that this was quite an achievement!

Louise moved to London in 2013. Typically, on her second day there she got herself a job in a coffee shop near Kings Cross. She realised quite rapidly that this alone wouldn’t cover the costs of living in London, so applied for a second job she spotted in passing. This turned out to be at Spearmint Rhino – for anyone who doesn’t know what this is, ask a man afterwards! She started out on reception and was later promoted to being ‘Chip Chick’. It was a rapid introduction to a very different and quite challenging world, but she rose to the challenge and learnt a huge amount about working with a wide range of people. It was her mother who was anxious about it, always adding when she explained where Louise worked, “but she does keep her clothes on!”

After a couple of years, she was ready for a new challenge and, in the teeth of great competition, she won a place on the BBC Apprenticeship scheme. During the application process she kept very quiet about her early years in the BBC nursery and the interviewers probably though they were rescuing a bright girl from a dodgy future! But the people-skills she had learnt at Spearmint stood her in good stead in the rather different environment of the BBC. She loved her placements in BBC3 and in marketing for BBC 1 and 2 and was able to mix in a bit of adventure by helping organise a charity abseil down the side of Broadcasting House.

In 2016 Louse was lucky enough to be able to buy a flat in London. She shared this with her partner, Mike, and they both worked tirelessly to transform it from a rather dingy, depressing place to a lovely home where they shared many good times with friends – and the new dog in her life, Vinnie.

Travel was one of her great passions and she packed a lot in, with trips to many destinations in Europe, the States and to New Zealand where Ian had settled. Here she went white water rafting, bungee jumping and sky diving. She also went hunting with Ian and Joe – a shared passion – and shot a deer and had to trudge out of a deep canyon with it on her back. The cured skin made a great rug and she was proud that her trophy was bigger than Joe’s. One of her last trips was in September last year, volunteering on a turtle rescue project in Bali – combining her love of animals and adventure.

It’s really hard to summarise a life in a few words, but:
Louise was bright, funny, energetic. She was hard-working and fun-loving. She always had an opinion and wasn’t afraid to share it. She was thoughtful, kind, and a rock to many of her friends. She was brave and adventurous. She was beautiful and a source of great joy. She was a loyal friend, a loving partner, a precious sister and daughter.
She touched the lives of so many people. We all wish her Godspeed on her last great adventure.
We all wish she hadn’t gone.