A young woman was granted special guardianship of her teenage sisters just weeks before she died in a car crash.
Natalie Marshall fought for a number of years to look after her siblings Corrina-Mae Marshall, 17, and Shannon Marshall, 14. Around a month after she took over their care, she passed away following a collision on the outskirts of Darlington.
Natalie was driving a Mercedes C Class when it left road and collided with a tree on the A167 near Coatham Mundeville at around 3.15am on Friday, June 17. She sadly died at the scene A male passenger in his twenties was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough with serious injuries.
The young girls, who both attend King James Academy in Bishop Auckland, are now being cared for by their older sister Chloe Coleman. The 28-year-old, who lives in Crook, County Durham, is now hoping to gain special guardianship of them.
Mum-of-two Chloe said: "I'm going to look whether I can get special guardianship or whether I am now already their special guardian. I'm hoping it's going to be a straight forward process and we can fall on our feet so there's not too much more pressure.
"I think Natalie's wish is what she will get in terms of leaving the girls to me. I will be there every step of the way. The girls are very strong. They have a part of Natalie, as she was the strongest person I knew. I think we all have a bit of Natalie in us, I think if we didn't we wouldn't be able to cope."
Natalie lived in St Helen Auckland in County Durham and worked as a phone sales advisor for EE in nearby Bishop Auckland. She had been through a lengthily court process, which took a number of years, to become the girl's special guardian.
Chloe said: "She was the best, most strongest woman, she had everything going for her. There was a different side to Natalie that a lot of people didn't see. She wasn't this party animal that most people knew her as. She's not someone you can describe, she's someone you needed to experience."
Shannon Murray, 25, from Billy Row, near Crook, became Natalie's best friend after meeting her more than eight years ago. She said she is currently helping Chloe to look after the girls.
Shannon, who works as a senior recruitment consultant, said: "She had recently got special guardianship of the kids. She was given it about a month prior to the collision. She's been going through the court for the last two to three years.
"Obviously with Natalie only being 25 herself it was a big responsibility to take on. The kids meant a lot to her. She wanted a better life for the kids and for herself. She would go out and get everything she wanted and get the kids everything they wanted.
"She was selfless, she was there for people. She would help people and that's why we are trying to help her. We know she would have done it for us. Natalie's sister Chloe is looking after them and I'm helping out.
"The kids are absolutely gutted about what's happened. One minute she's there and the next thing they're not going to see her again. It's a big shock to them, they are coping pretty well."
Shannon said Natalie had an infectious personality and was well-known across the North East. She said: "She was wonderful, she was always full of life and she had a big personality. She was always up for a laugh. She was like a song that you always wanted on repeat.
"She used to sell phones and she had the gift of the gab. When she walked into the room you could feel her presence. She could light up a room and she could make conversation with anyone, she was fearless."
Shannon has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise funds for Natalie's family and has already raised more than £5,500. She added: "It will take a bit of pressure and stress off. We have done a couple of events already to raise money for the Go Fund Me page."
Natalie's funeral will take place at 11.30am on Friday, July 8 at Coundon Crematorium. Her family has asked that seats inside the crematorium are occupied by only family and close friends.
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