An 18-year-old who died in a crash in a Norfolk village last weekend has been described as a 'ray of sunshine' in a tribute from a family friend.
The woman, named locally as Mariana Valente, from Dereham, was a passenger in a silver Ford Fiesta which hit a tree on the B1110 near North Elmham in the early hours of Saturday.
She was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and died on Monday.
Now, Julie Bond, the mother of Mariana's best friend Tallulah Bond, has paid tribute to her describing Mariana as 'an absolute treasure'.
Ms Bond said: "She was a ray of sunshine, everyone loved her.
"She was so funny but blunt with it, she was an absolute treasure.
"She just did random stuff, she was so spontaneous.
"Once she came home from a holiday and revealed she'd had a tattoo of her room number done."
Tallulah described her best friend as 'my sidekick, my future, my everything'.
She said: "Mariana was funny, she annoyed me with her loud eating, she was bold, spontaneous, down for whatever.
"She was a sweet girl, if we went on a drive together and ended up somewhere we didn’t know the game was we weren't allowed to look at the maps to get home.
"The most straightforward person ever - she was my world, my sidekick, my future, my everything."
She said Mariana had been working alongside her father Jorge in his barbers shop, completing an apprenticeship and dreaming of one day becoming a full-time hairdresser.
Mariana, who attended Toftwood Junior School and Dereham Neatherd High School, was known to regularly stay over at Ms Bond's house, sometimes without her knowing.
Ms Bond added: "I'd knock on my daughter's door and there would be Mariana in bed sound asleep - and she'd pop up and say 'I hope you didn't mind me sleeping'. We never minded.
"She was quirky, fun and loving, she cared about everyone and everyone loved her."
Ms Bond is now running a GoFundMe page to raise funds for a celebration of Mariana's life. So far the page has already raised £2,925 of its £5,000 total.
She said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard the news, no one should have to bury their daughter.
"We just want to do everything we can and help to pay for a celebration of her life, she deserves it."
Those wishing to donate can do so at gofund.me/692d21dc.
Floral tributes and cards for Miss Valente were left at the scene this week following the tragedy.
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