'She was a celebration. She didn't deserve the end she had'
Tributes have flood in following the death of a 'kind and caring' woman who made 'everyone's lives better'. Layla Owens, a 28 year-old from Fazakerely, in Merseyside, died in January 2025.
Layla spent several years teaching languages at the Blackley Co-Op Academy in Manchester. Even after she left teaching, she would volunteer at a library in Manchester every weekend, the Liverpool Echo reports.
She had a wide variety of skills. She also worked in the prestigious Nord restaurant in Liverpool city centre at a time when she was considering becoming a chef.
READ MORE: Supermarket cheese that costs £3.80 named best in UK - beating iconic Cathedral City
READ MORE: He said just three words after pouring boiling water over a homeless man
She also worked at a law firm in Manchester and spoke many different languages. During her life, Layla became known for her many acts of generosity.
Paying tribute to her daughter, her mum Anne Owens, 58, told the ECHO: 'She was a very bubbly and very energetic. She had a very inquiring mind, was always a joy to be around and was very caring. The overriding thing that people say about Layla is that she'd do anything for anybody. She was a really nice person.
'We would be walking through town and she'd stop at every homeless person and give them her money. She wasn't materialistic at all. As stunning and pretty as Layla was, she was a very simple girl.
'She loved her role as a teacher. She didn't know when to switch off. We would be constantly in B&M, buying stuff for the kids. She cared about them because she was a very young teacher herself.
'For some of her students, English wasn't their first language, but of course, with her speaking the likes of Arabic and French, she broke down barriers.'
Her sister Jessica Owens, 26, added: 'Wherever Layla was, she had this vibe that lit up the room. She would make friends with anyone and everyone with people from all over the world.
'A lot of the kids that they remember as she'd put the music on in the class every morning and start dancing. On Paddy's Day she dressed up as a leprechaun. She loved traveling as well. She loved France and she lived there for a year. I think that was probably her happiest time for her.'
Layla was not afraid to go against the crowd either. Anne said: 'She was a mad Evertonian and was a club member, even though we're all Reds. We'd go to Goodison and she'd say "stand up for Z Cars". She always wanted a Scouse pie at games.'
Layla was diagnosed with bipolar one when she was 21. The family feel this changed her as the years went by, although she remained a kind and caring person.
Jessica said: 'I think it took a big knock on her self-esteem. She wouldn't leave the house without make-up and wore black a lot - I think she did it to blend in."
Anne added: 'She put on a brave face would never bring the party down by looking glum or concerned for herself. It was never about Layla, it was always about others, so sometimes for me it was hard to gauge.
'Having bipolar one was really difficult for her. You can't now talk about Layla and not talk about bipolar because it does stigmatise a person and a lot of doors were closed for her career wise.
'When she left teaching in 2022, she went to work in a law firm in Manchester and they were very good and very flexible with her because the medication used to really have an effect on her.
'But they loved her as well. Every job that she worked in they would remember Layla. She would always bring something into the office like cakes or biscuits or make a display. She touched everybody's lives and made them better, no matter where she worked.'
Layla died in January 2025 after taking her own life. Her family were comforted somewhat during this time due to the support they received from everyone who knew Layla. A GoFundMe to go towards the funeral costs raised over £10,000.
The funeral was attended by many people including neighbours, members of the Muslim community she worked with in teaching as well as old colleagues. There were also people who attended recovery groups with her and members of the Jewish community, as Layla was in the process of converting to Judaism.
Jessica: 'My friend who set it up was phoning me every day and saying, have you seen how much this is raising? Some guy put £1,000 in.
Jessica: 'My friend who set it up was phoning me every day and saying, have you seen how much this is raising? Some guy put £1,000 in.
'I said to everybody, thank you so much for contributing to this amazing funeral that we just wouldn't have been able to give her, you've made it so much easier for us.
'Honestly, you'd be hard pushed to find somebody who didn't like Layla. There was everyone in that funeral from all different walks of life.
'We made it a celebration of life because she was a celebration. She wasn't a self-pitying person at all. She just didn't deserve the end that she had. I thought she'd go on to amazing things and she did want to, and she studied so hard.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Outstanding secondary school in deprived area which is among Birmingham's best
A secondary school located in one of Birmingham's most deprived areas has been named as one of the city's best following a glowing Ofsted inspection. The E-ACT Heartlands Academy has been rated outstanding in all four key areas assessed by inspectors in a rare achievement - especially for an inner-city high school. The academy is based in Nechells, one of the more deprived areas of the city - and that naturally brings more challenges for teachers. READ MORE: Latest Midlands Ofsted ratings as three top schools 'outstanding' in all areas Get our local newsletters like Black Country News, MySolihull and MySuttonColdfield straight to your inbox But Heartlands has more than risen to those challenges. In fact, the school has continually defied the odds, having been ranked among the best for years now. Crucially, Ofsted says "disadvantaged pupils achieve as highly as their peers". It may have been an anxious time for leaders eager to maintain that reputation as Ofsted returned for a new full inspection in March, the first in over a decade during which time things could have changed. But they needn't have worried. The results have now been published and the school was once again graded as outstanding across the board - achieving a perfect score. Ofsted's grading system has changed since their last visit to the Great Francis Street school. Rather than a single one-word overall grade, the watchdog now rates secondaries in the following four areas: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management. The school, which has over 800 pupils, was graded outstanding in all of these areas. Ofsted said in its report: "Pupils enjoy school. They know that when they walk through the school gates they are safe and surrounded by people who want them to succeed and be happy. "Pupils understand the school's expectations of their behaviour and meet these, as they want to play their part in the school's harmonious culture. They show respect, and often kindness, in their interactions with peers and staff." The report continued: "The school has a clear commitment to academic excellence and equips pupils with the knowledge and skills they need for future success. "This is realised through its ambitious curriculum, which is accessed successfully by all pupils. Pupils achieve strong outcomes. "For example, impressively high numbers of pupils secure the English and mathematics qualifications they need for their future learning. Disadvantaged pupils achieve as highly as their peers."
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
46 Photos Of Things From The 19th And 18th Century
This 1800s 25¢ bill: This 1880s ID card: This 18th century diving suit: These 1800s shoes for crushing chestnuts: This 18th century fire alarm that you'd need to hit with a hammer to alert the village of a fire: This 18th century machine that let researchers read up to eight open books at once: This 1840s medical inhaler that administered anesthesia: This 18th century condom: This 1890s brass knuckle pistol: This 1850s women's self defense glove: This 1800s hidden staircase in a Victorian home: These 18th century sword-shaped Chinese coins: This 1830s clock: This 1700s oil lamp: This 1880s Victorian dollhouse: This 1740 wheelchair for Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel: This 1820 coffin collar that prevented grave robbers from stealing corpses: This 18th century Scottish mortsafe to stop graverobbers: This 1890 steamer trunk that converts into a dresser: This 1880s penny farthing bike: This 1850 $10 bill: 1890s manners book: This 18th century gaming device that came before the pinball machine: This mid-1700s well that was glassed over and eventually became part of a home's kitchen: This 18th century French chair for reading books: This 1750s wall latern: This 18th century mansion's dog grave: This 18th century case of amputation instruments: This 18th century lock that requires four keys to open: This 18th century palace hall: This 1700s graffiti on a cathedral: This 18th century building in Norland, Norway: This 1700s lighthouse Fresnel lens: This 1800s sundial alarm clock: This 1800s pepperbox pistol: This 19th Century guide on how much you could sue for loosing a limb: This 1830 cost of a semester at Harvard: This 18th century uranium glass china that glows under UV light: This 1800s cemetery that was preserved in the basement of a building: This 1840 Japanese shadow puppet guide: This 1880 tap and die set (aka toolkit): This 1821 recipe for Ginger Ale: This 1800s corner chair: This 1800s telephone: This 19th century Victorian home library: And finally, this 19th century guide on who to avoid in the marriage market:
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Northwest Indiana's Muslim community comes together to observe Eid Al-Adha
Muslims from throughout Northwest Indiana gathered together on Friday to pray and celebrate Eid Al-Adha. The celebration, the first day of a three-day event, was held inside Crown Point's Sparta Dome. The Sparta Dome was selected as the best place to hold the festivity because of the aspect of community, the joining together of Muslims from throughout the area, Jawad Nammari said. Nammari, who is a volunteer at the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center, also served as one of the organizers of the event. 'Rather than hosting the event at one mosque, the Sparta Dome was chosen because it has plenty of space to accommodate the large Muslim community, who are celebrating together from across the Northwest Indiana region. We all join together in prayer,' he said. Eid Al-Adha is one of two main holidays in the Islamic religion and is a celebration that is held worldwide, he said. 'Eid Al-Adha commemorates when Prophet Ibrahim (Arabic for Abraham) was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Ismail (Arabic for Ishmael), as an act of obedience and fulfilling a commandment from God,' he said. God intervened at the moment of sacrifice and sent a ram to be sacrificed instead. 'This was a test of faith and both father and son passed it with full obedience and trust in God,' he said. The Eid Al-Adha celebration started at sunrise and many of those in the area traveled to either the Illiana Islamic Center in Highland or the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center in Merrillville to say early morning prayers, he said. Ferass Safadi, who serves as treasurer at the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center, said this event is the first time those from both mosques joined together. 'This is history in the making,' Safadi said. The prayer at the beginning of the event is called Takbeenr which is the praising of Allah, Northwest Indiana Islamic Center member Amera Salam Nammari said. Those in attendance greeted each other upon entry to the dome with hugs or handshakes before being seated in chairs or on rugs spread throughout the area. All removed their shoes before the saying of prayers and message of forgiveness and thankfulness led by Iman Mongy El-Quesny of the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center. Following the main prayers, festivities for families continued including bouncy houses and events for young children. Food trucks, which offered traditional meals like shawarma and falafel, were also available to participants. 'Although Muslims worship five times a day daily and are obliged to obey the commandments of God, this day is a holiday as part of honoring a great act of faith, honoring sacrifice, charity and community,' Jawad Nammari said.
