In loving memory of Helena Jane Sewell who sadly passed away on 6th August 2026
Helena was born in Scarborough and spent her childhood in Bridlington with regular joyful family visits to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in Oxford and Reading...
Everyone who knew her then will remember how obsessed she was with dinosaurs.
Fossil hunting as a family along Yorkshire’s Jurassic Coast led to Helena’s deep love of the natural world and walking in wild landscapes.
She also enjoyed art and music activities and as a teenager, overcame her shyness to perform as part of the Purple Squirrels Drama Group.
Helena was a first generation Pokemon fan, and enjoyed playing video games such as Animal Crossing and Nintendogs. As an adult she joined a game developers group, and also found a lovely group of people to play games with online, some becoming friends offline too.
Helena studied Interactive Media and Design at Bournemouth University, where there was another Jurassic coast to explore. She was intrigued by Japanese culture, taking language lessons and joining the Anime Club.
After completing her degree, Helena settled in York, gaining employment as a developer of apps for phones. The pandemic meant a shift to working from home. Eventually she bought her own flat overlooking the river Foss, where she could walk along the river bank in her lunch break and see kingfishers and herons from her window. It became very important to her when she was ill. She still loved art and filled her flat with original works by local makers.
A few years ago, Helena developed a taste for Golden Age detective fiction. She built up an extensive collection, and honed her writing skills posting book reviews on her blog. Then she began writing her own short stories . She joined Jorvik Writers where she found encouragement, support and friendship. She’s had a story published online which is due to be included in a printed collection shortly. There have been tantalising glimpses of the novel she was half way through writing.
Helena wasn’t a fan of big gatherings and making small talk, but relaxing with friends or family she was bright, funny and sharp, with a wry way of looking at the world. Above all, she was immensely kind and thoughtful, with a strong moral compass that guided all she did. She was logical, rational and thorough, tolerant of people’s life choices but not afraid to challenge lazy or knee-jerk opinions on important topics. She was disturbed by the manipulation, dis-information and destructiveness online, and intended to get involved in helping young people to defend themselves against it. She worked in IT but was vehemently against the casual and uncontrolled use of AI.
There is much to celebrate in Helena’s short life, but it is also hard to think about what she knew and regretted she would miss out on. She had so much she wanted to do and to become, and the determination to make it happen. She felt like she had only just got the hang of life and how to live it well.
The reality is that she was already an incredible person who added so much to the lives of those who knew her and loved her. The world is richer for her existence, poorer for her loss.
Helena’s Story: https://norncrafts.com/2026/04/01/sleeping-beauty/
Helena’s Blog: https://playingatdetection.com/
Hello, if anyone would like to view the recording of the service, please let me have your email address BEFORE 2nd October and I can send you a link. You can contact me using the 'obituary owner' button above, or email me direct if we are already in contact.
Dear Helena,
I will remember you as a kind person and for your steadfastness in your beliefs and how you would force yourself to follow through when you had set your mind to doing something.
You were the first friend I made when we met by chance at a freshers event at Bournemouth. We went on to be friends throughout university, both of us being regulars at the anime society and Japanese lessons, where you were always a reassuring presence to me when meeting new people there.
I often wondered how you were doing after graduating and thought about reaching out to catch up many times. Never doing that will be a regret I will aways have.
My deepest condolences to Helena’s family, she will not be forgotten.
Isaac, it is good to hear from you. I know Helena had friends who were important to her at University, but she didn't do Facebook and eventually lost touch with them all. She would often speak about reaching out, but sounds a lot like you, she was very diffident about contacting people out of the blue and it got more daunting the longer she left it. Were you one of the friends she went to a reunion with in London?
Thank you to everyone for the lovely messages and the donations to charities Helena supported. My donation includes money handed to me by Frances. Marilyn also kindly sent me a cheque to MSF which I will forward.
I was so lucky to have Helena in my life; my lovely, talented modest niece. Uncle Iam
Helena will be so very missed. Her friendship meant a lot to me xxxx
So special, kind and beautiful. Love you so much xxxxx
it was very moving to be at Helena's very special send-off, and to hear the wonderful tributes.
Dear Helena
Aunty Midge, your grandmother, was so happy that there would be two babies in the family and one would be her grandchild.
June 1993 and you arrived, followed a few days later by our baby.
Saw Aunty Midge again (a new baby even got her to do a hospital visit!) and talking about names she thought you would be called something a bit unusual as I remember her saying something along the lines of “our Tone and Shirl called their baby bump all sorts of names, so who knows what they will come up with!” (I can still hear her voice now).
We quite quickly decided on the name Helen Louise, only to find out a little later that Helen was what your Mum and Dad had decided on as well, your grandmother didn’t see that one coming. A while later we heard that they had added an “a”, keeping the names slightly different.
The two of you started life so closely, it is a shame that distance kept you apart, both so bright and with similar values, it seems as if you would have got on well and have some great discussions about things you may have differed on. Your connection with our Helen will always be there and through that you will be remembered.
Rest In Peace
All our Love
Jane, Phil and Helen
Thank you Jane. In the end we went for Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream, as her birthday was so close to midsummer. I think I could do no wrong in my lovely Mother-Out-Law's eyes after providing her with a grandchild. Shirley
In memory of Helena/Vell. She was an amazing friend and such a bright presence. She will be really sorely missed.
You were the very best of us Helena, we could all strive to be more like you.
In memory of Helena. From Owain and the team at hedgehog lab.
In memory of Helena. From Owain and the team at hedgehog lab.
Sending you to a pure world.
I’m so sorry your time here was far too short xx
Such a cruel loss. A lovely and generous person and about to realise some of your dreams. With love from Uncle Alan
What a fitting charity, supporting MSF even after you have gone. You supported them when we spoke around SGDQ.
The world was brighter with you in it and it is darker with you gone.
We feel incredibly lucky to have known and worked alongside Helena. Helena was such a valued part of our team and she will be remembered not only for everything she brought to hedgehog lab, but for the person she was and the impact she had on those around her.
Helena will be very much missed, and we know there are so many people across hedgehog lab who will remember her with great fondness, both current and previous employees alike. Colleagues will remember Helena for her diligence, her strong principles, and, fittingly for a lover of Agatha Christie, her gift for detective work whenever a tricky problem needed solving. They'll remember her kindness too. She once gave visiting members of her team an impromptu tour of York, her home city. It's a day they still recall fondly.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Helena's family, friends and loved ones. In honour of Helena's memory, we have made a donation to Maggie's Cancer Centre, and we hope this serves as a small reflection of the impact Helena had on those around her.
With love and condolences from all of us at hedgehog lab.
Maggie's was a really valued, peaceful escape for Helena and for me, from the atmosphere of the hospital. We appreciated that we were welcomed, then left to ourselves if we wanted to be, and there was good one to one support when Helena needed it. Thank you for your donation. Best wishes, Shirley
Helena was a bright, thoughtful, creative young woman. She attended many arts workshops including the Purple Squirrels Youth Theatre, the teenage drama group at the Old Parcels Office. It takes courage to join any group, but perhaps more so when it's a drama group, which relies on interaction and cooperation and Helena was a great asset to the group.
She was a sensitive person and that sensitivity extended to supporting others. She was encouraging and responsive to other members and full of ideas. She was also a good listener. It was lovely to see her confidence and creative skills grow, sharing her ideas, directing and performing with the group. The Squirrels were invited to take part in a bigger performance of short plays. Helena was brilliant-confident and supportive as usual, some of whom had not performed to an audience before. The director of the the project told me "that's the best one yet."
I think writing was always going to be Helena's first love and I did get to read one of her early stories. A suitably classic macabre tale of murder, which I really enjoyed. I grieve that we are not able to see her potential realised, but I am so pleased to have known her.
Sadly I never got to meet Helena in person, though Shirley kept me informed about what she was up to. A bright light extinguished too soon. My condolences to her family and friends.
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