Mum's emotional tribute to 'fun-loving' daughter 10 years after tragic accidentc

The mother of a woman who was killed a decade ago in Nottingham city centre has paid tribute to her "outgoing" and "fun-loving" daughter ahead of the tenth anniversary of her tragic death. Louise Wright was a popular and well-loved individual, known for her passion for roller skating and music, but she died in 2014 after being crushed by a lorry whilst cycling to work.

The 29-year-old, of Mapperley, died at the scene with a nurse by her side, who had been passing by at the time of the accident. The driver of the lorry was later found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Louise's mum, Sharon Brown, said her daughter was "an independent young lady", adding "she was very generous and everybody liked her." Sharon, of Loscoe, Derbyshire, explained that roller skating was a large part of her daughter's life and she was very talented at the sport.

She said: "I think she was invited by a friend of hers who was already into roller derby and she went along with her to have a look and got bitten by the bug. She absolutely loved it, I think her favourite part was the jamming part as she was very good at that.

"The fact that it was a full impact quite high-intensity sporting activity, she loved that part of it, and the camaraderie as well. The roller derby fraternity are a wonderful bunch of people, they are very inclusive and supportive and she loved the whole aspect of it."

Each year the roller derby community comes together for the Louisey Rider Cup, which is celebrates Louise's life and legacy, and also raises money for the road safety charity Brake in her honour. The eighth event took place on Saturday, June 15, and since it began more than £20,000 has been raised.

Regarding the day, Sharon said: "I think it's wonderful what they do, the whole day is a wonderful tribute to Louise and it shows what she meant to them, what she meant to the roller derby world so to speak as she was a really passionate ambassador for the sport. The event that they put on, it's really humbling to see how well she was thought of in that sport, and the tributes that they give to her and how they remember her is amazing.

"I've been lucky enough to be part of that, they always include me in the event, me and her stepdad have gone every year and been welcomed with open arms. It's wonderful."

She explained that the event gets "bigger and bigger" each year, with hundreds of skaters travelling from all over the UK to take part. Sharon added: "Normally they are doing competitions and league matches and it is serious competition, but this is where they can come together as skaters and skate in different teams and it's a whole day of fun and just as a tribute to Louise.

"It's all sequins and about having fun and being together." The 64-year-old went on to explain that some parts of the day can be difficult though.

She said: "It's an emotional day as whilst we are celebrating the memory of my daughter, we are celebrating it because she is no longer here. There are still skaters who knew her personally that were in her team but there's a lot of new skaters coming up, and so her legacy lives on, it's really wonderful to see and be part of."

Gemma Fenyn, a tournament volunteer, added: "As well as being an incredible player, Lou always knew how to make everyone welcome. If you were new to the team, she was probably one of the first people you’d talk to, giving you tips and making you feel less nervous.

"This is probably why the tournament has remained so popular for so long. Everyone who met her wanted to play a part in continuing her legacy." In addition to roller skating, Sharon shared that Louise "loved" her job, travelling, keeping fit and her vintage stuff.

She added: "She liked her vintage stuff, she liked her old Allegro that her stepdad was always helping her fix. We also did up an old motorbike for her and she liked that."

Louise was also passionate about music, and whilst she studied Maths at the University of Leeds, she also worked as a DJ for the student radio station and ran a mobile disco. Sharon added: "She interviewed the Kaiser Chiefs before they hit the big time.

"She actually got to meet the Kaiser Chiefs and it was one of the weekends I went to see her and she took me along with her to a club night they held. This was before they hit the big time and I got to meet Ricky Wilson, it was amazing."