“LUCY is the most unique child I know. I won’t let her to be forgotten.”

The mother of Southampton murdered teenager Lucy McHugh has spoken for the first time after the body of her 13-year-old daughter was found at Southampton Sports Centre on July 26.

Stacey White has spoken at length of the plans the Redbridge Community School pupil had for her future, how difficult life is without her, and has launched a message to everyone to find time for people they care, just as Lucy did.

“She always made time for everybody. There was never a time when she would say ‘I can’t’ or ‘I won’t’ or ‘I am too busy’,” Ms White said.

She said Lucy had many interests and many plans for her future and had decided to become a lawyer to help other people.

“She’d come to a very strong decision that she wanted to study law and she then wanted that to lead her to moving to America and then becoming a pro bono lawyer to help people who couldn’t afford to help themselves.

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“She probably would have achieved it.

“Everything she set her mind to she achieved.”

Ms White said Lucy had a passion for music and used to spend time with her friends and family as well as taking part in several activities such as gymnastic and swimming.

“She was a bit like an elastic band, she could never sit still. She was always on the go.

“All the plans that she had, all the things that she wanted to do she now can’t do because someone took that away from her.”

Lucy died almost three months ago but Ms White said it feels like it has just happened.

“It is such a more complex layer of sorrow and heartache, just destruction to think that you woke up, you’ve started your day and everything has been fine and not even twelve hours later your world is in pieces”, she said.

As previously reported, Lucy was last seen at her home in Mansel Road East at 9am on Wednesday, July 25, and her body was found at 7.45am on Thursday, July 26.

“We travelled to go and see Lucy and it was horrible. I’d never wish it on anybody.

“It’s certainly not something you ever expect to happen. And then you have to think of [your] other children, have to try to explain this to them, whilst you want to fall apart and you just can’t because you have to explain to them before somebody else does, and then you have to help them so really you don’t have a choice.

Daily Echo: Lucy McHugh

“You have to survive,” Ms White said.

She added: “But it’s like a complete emptiness. The whole world falling apart.

“But whilst everything else is going on around you you’re just in this very small bubble of everybody telling you exactly how you’re meant to be feeling, what you’re meant to be doing, and it’s so far from that.

“You either allow it to destroy you or you fight. I will fight.”

Ms White said she will never let Lucy to be forgotten and she will not allow what happened to destroy anybody else.

“The biggest smiling person in our lives has been taken and she’s never going to come back.

“I’m sitting there and hoping and think she’d just come back and say ‘oh you’re so stupid, you know I’m just late’, no, she is not.

“She is not here. I won’t let whoever has done this destroy anybody else. The destruction that has been caused is destruction enough.

“My little girl was the biggest destruction that could have been caused within this already.

“No-one else should crumble, that’s why I stayed as I have.”

Ms White also added: “Even if I’m out and people see me and I am not always crying that doesn’t mean I am not upset, it doesn’t mean I have forgotten.

“She won’t be forgotten. It just means I have to be strong for myself and for everybody else.”

Ms White said Lucy treated everybody as an equal.

“Everybody deserved to have the same time, energy from her as everybody else did.

“I think there’s something very clear that everybody should keep at the forefront of their mind, being strong never say I can’t do it, find a way to do it. “

Ms White is now organising a fundraising event set to be held at Mansel Park Pavilion in Evenlode Road, in Southampton on October 20 from 2pm.

Daily Echo: Lucy McHugh death

She said the event in Lucy’s memory will bring the community together and will feature all the things that Lucy loved, including bouncy castles and ice cream.

The money raised will be used for Lucy’s Garden, the memorial garden at Redbridge Community School as well as to provide bereavement support for parents who have lost children prematurely and to support charities which protect children.

Part of the money will also be used for community projects in Lucy’s honour.

To donate visit www.gofundme.com/26hp7h-i-love-lucy.