Hearfelt tributes to ‘one of our brightest stars, the most beautiful of souls’

Twenty-seven-year-old Lucinda Harding, a former Parkland and ETC pupil, was travelling to see her family in Eastbourne from her home in Hertfordshire when the accident happened near Sevenoaks.

An inquest this week heard Miss Harding, who was eight months pregnant with her first child, had a heart condition and may have suffered a blackout at the wheel.

The vehicle she was driving veered off the road and she and her unborn baby girl, Niamh, died at the scene.

Her mother and father Donna and Daren and brother Trevor said this week Lucinda was ‘beautiful and bubbly and put a smile on everyone’s face’.

She had graduated from the University of Brighton’s Eastbourne campus where she had studied to be a PE teacher.

Lucinda was working for Mencap and was also a member of the British Baton Twirling Association.

Donna said her daughter had been baton twirling since the age of four when she first joined Hampden Park Twirlers and had travelled the world competing.

She was ranked fourth in the world and following her death, the British Baton Twirling Association said,“Today we say goodbye to one of our brightest stars, the most beautiful of souls.

“Our very own Lucinda. A truly special person who we will never forget. As we lay you to rest with your beautiful daughter Niamh we send our love to your family.

“Shine bright beautiful girl, you graced us all with your infectious smile and beautiful kind ways.”

At the inquest in Kent on Wednesday, witnesses said there was no evidence of any third party involvement, driver distraction or fault with either the car or the road in the August accident and Miss Harding was travelling within the speed limit.

The coroner concluded Lucinda died of natural causes.