Needham Lake memorial bench hopes for teen's family

Skye Risby was just 14 when she passed away with Rett Syndrome in 2021.

She would have been celebrating her 16th birthday on December 26 this year, and as such her family wanted to do something special for her.

Skye Risby passed away two years ago (Image: Submitted)

A fundraiser was started to buy a bench to place next to Needham Lake, a place that means a lot to the family, where mum Sarah, dad Adam, brother Ewan and sister Pandora can sit and remember Skye.

Sarah said: "We live in Needham Market and we're always going down the lake and Skye used to go there a lot as well on school trips and with us.

"Recently we have seen memory benches there and we thought we wanted to do it for Skye.

Skye with her brother Ewan (Image: Submitted)

"We want to put it somewhere where we can sit and talk about her and just be there where she once was."

The bench would be built by Ipswich-based charity Genesis Orwell Mencap which provides adult learning disability services, with the bench itself being made by adults who have disabilities.

The bench costs £1,500, with a further £200 for installation and a further £50 for the plaque.

Skye and her dad Adam (Image: Submitted)

The fundraiser has already raised £950.

Sarah continued: "It's overwhelming.

"I wasn't expecting to raise anywhere near that amount, I Just put it up to see how much we could get, but it's amazing."

Skye with her mum Sarah (Image: Submitted)

They have said that anything over the target amount of £1,800 would go to Rett UK, a charity that were heavily involved in Skye's life.

A link to the donation page can be found here, along with extra information.

Skye Risby would have turned 16 this year (Image: Submitted)