Alice admits that her earliest memories of her best friend, Lydia, are hazy. “We both went to the same playgroup in London in 1991,” she says. “I remember seeing a blond girl playing in the sand and being very taken with her hair. Our mums were friends, so they started taking turns childminding us. Whenever I went to Lydia’s house, we would watch Bodger and Badger together.”
The pair quickly became close, and can barely recall a day when they weren’t together. After nursery, they joined the same primary school, and their budding friendship continued to grow. “We only wanted to play with each other,” says Lydia. “Once we dressed up as a horse together for World Book Day; I was the bum because Alice ruled the roost.” For as long as they can remember, they have had joint birthday parties. “One year, we had a Lion King-themed party and I dressed up as Simba,” says Lydia.
