As a single mum, Lara was always busy. “I was living in Bristol and working as a child protection lawyer, which was a tough job,” she says. “But I was also enjoying myself and going out as much as I could when my children were with their dad.”
One night in the autumn of 2014, she went to the Invisible Circus, a “Bristol institution” with acrobats, gymnasts and performers, and a fancy dress theme for guests. In the queue for the toilets, she got chatting to Claire, who was also a single mum of the same age. “She was wearing a 70s kaftan and homemade turban, which looked fabulous,” says Lara. “I think we were talking nonsense in the queue but I remember coming home and thinking that I really liked her.”
