Friends of a Croydon mum-of-two murdered in Bromley have paid tribute to an "inspirational" young woman.

Sophie Cavanagh, 31, was found on May 20 at Dryden House on Chatterton Road.

Stacey Lyons, 28, was best friends with Sophie after they met 10 years ago. They both lived in Selsdon, and went into business together.

“It was friendship at first sight,” Stacey said. “I am struggling to accept that just last week Sophie was round my house cuddling my three-week-old daughter while her daughter was raiding the sweet cupboard.

“My son was showing Sophie his latest gymnastics moves on the sofa and her son was trying to take me on in a boxing match and now I can’t even text her. It was always chaos when we got together but now I miss it more than ever. It’s a very surreal feeling.”

Some of Stacey’s cherished memories are hitting the town with Sophie before supporting each other after becoming parents.

She added: “We had some of the best nights from what I remember. A night out with this party girl is never a sober one. However, it wasn’t until we had our children that we really valued each other's friendship.

“I was her babysitter, she was mine, I was her shoulder to cry on when the kids were driving her mad and she was mine.

“We borrowed each other's clothes, shared birth stories and held each other's hand when we finally plucked up the courage to take the kids out for the day.”

Stacey has set up a fundraising page for her friend to cover the costs of the funeral and to support Sophie's two children, Roman and Ruby.

She said: “Her poor babies are now without their mummy and my heart bleeds for them. Please donate to the fundraising page every little helps to try and build a future for her children.

“I can’t explain how much I miss her, she was my best friend, business partner and the only one who puts up with my banter on a daily basis.”

To view the JustGiving page, click here.