Garden Earth

Allana Raine King (4th June 1999 - 12th October 2018)

Allana grew up in the City of Bristol, England, UK.

She achieved excellent exam grades at Bristol Free School and carried on to the sixth form at St Brendan's College, where she obtained the grades to further her career at Kingston upon Thames University to study Creative Writing and English Literature.

Allana loved writing, whether it be poems, songs, stories or her life experiences. Every spare moment she was writing - it was her 'happy place'. One of her poems was published in the Teen Poets 'Youthful Expressions' at the tender age of 14 - called 'Consciousness'. Between studying she would attend open mic sessions and perform on stage, which came naturally to her. Her skills obtained through ballet at 3 years of age and performing in school plays helped to give her the confidence to express herself.

It was her destiny and purpose in life to be a writer and she hoped her poems and stories would give joy and inspiration to everyone who read them. Her outlook on life was to live it well and always care for others less fortunate than herself. Allana felt blessed and thankful for her life. She was beautiful not only on the outside but within; she was in touch with her spirituality and of others. She loved the company of children and animals and had a special connection with them. She was passionate about cooking, and being vegetarian, loved to create nutritious dishes, particularly vegetable curries.

In 2018, the year she was looking forward to starting University, Allana became ill with Encephalitis, an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues in the brain or spinal cord. It was sudden, brutal and totally unexpected and changed our lives forever. Allana said she never felt alone in her struggle with her illness and was blessed to have the love and support of her family and friends at this time.

Allana was true to her values and beliefs and was her own person and grew to be a strong independent woman. She was brave, happy and intelligent and although her life was short, she lived a fulfilled one. As her family, we are very grateful, honoured and blessed to have been a part of her life. Each one of us will carry forward our special memories of her forever. Allana is an inspiration to us all to live our lives to the full.