Tributes to Grantham mum Amanda Garrett who helped many through loss with her business Sewing by Sue

Tributes have been paid to a mother-of-two, who helped people who had lost loved ones, after she died following a battle with cancer.

Amanda Garrett died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning, aged 46, and her family have expressed their sincere pride in everything she did to help the people of Grantham.

Amanda leaves two sons, Callum and Jake Sutton, and her mother Sue Garrett, who she ran Sewing by Sue with.

Amanda was first diagnosed with breast cancer during the first lockdown in May 2020, and was given the all-clear in 2021. However, in September 2021, she was told that it had returned and spread.

This news prompted her to set out on completing her ‘living list’ of amazing things that she wanted to do with her life, including a trip to Mexico, which she was able to go on at the beginning of 2022. At the time, Amanda explained that she called it a ‘living list’ rather than a bucket list, as it was “all about living”.

Amanda’s son Callum said: “She just had a lot of setbacks. She caught Covid about a month and a half ago and that set her back with her chemotherapy. She wasn’t allowed to have it for a couple of weeks.

There was such a list of things on there and she did so much of it, even when she wasn’t supposed to.

“She had an amazing time. She didn’t live for treatment, she lived to live her life.”

Amanda was named Businessperson of the Year at the Grantham Journal Business Awards 2020 for ‘Sewing by Sue’, a service that she ran with her mum Sue from 2015 onwards to create memory bears out of loved ones’ clothing to help people deal with loss.

Sewing By Sue also won the Customer Care Award that same year, with the mother and daughter pair praised for their “deeply personal service”.

Callum continued: “As a family we are so proud of everything that she’s done and so proud that her work touched so many people and has been able to help over these past few years.

“In Sewing by Sue, my nan always said she did the sewing but Amanda was the brains.”

Around two weeks ago, Amanda was moved to St Barnabas Hospice in Grantham, where she was made as comfortable as possible.

Callum said: “[The hospice staff] are absolute angels. I think the reason that myself and the family were so calm [is them] and we spoke with the nurses and talked everything through.

“The fact that my mum was so comfortable and so well looked after, it made everything just a million times easier. When she did pass, it was completely fine.

“There was nothing to worry about and that was all because of the nurses and that environment we were in. She was at peace, and we were all OK as well, and that’s carried on.”

Amanda’s living list allowed her and her family to enjoy happy times together, despite her illness.

On Amanda’s wish list was to see a show that Callum had worked on in the West End, which she was able to do.

Callum said: “We’ve done so much. It’s been brilliant. We went on holiday to Cornwall, a big family thing from her list.

“We did have to come back early from that because she wasn’t very well, but that was one of the last things we all did together and it was great. We had such a lovely time there.

“When we were in the hospice talking to mum, she turned to me and my little brother Jake and she said ‘you must finish my list’, so that is exactly what we are going to do.”

A JustGiving page was set up by Amanda’s friend Rachael Bradley, who runs Breast Friends Grantham, a cancer support group. The fundraiser will be relaunched so that people can support Callum and Jake as they finish off what Amanda started.

Callum added: “There’s some big things on that list and we’re determined to do them all for mum. She loved an adventure. We’ve just got to carry it on.”

Callum also confirmed that Sewing by Sue would continue once Sue had taken a little break.

Amanda’s funeral is set to take place at 1.30pm on September 16 at St Anne’s Church.