Hillsborough stories: Christine Anne Jones

A senior radiographer and Sunday school teacher from Preston, Christine Jones travelled to Hillsborough with her husband who survived the tragedy. They had been married for four years when she died.

This is the full statement to the inquests from her husband Stephen Jones:

I am Stephen Jones, former husband of Christine Anne Jones, deceased. I speak on behalf of myself, Christine's mother and father, Mavis and Kenneth Alderson, and her sister, Charlotte Capstick.

Christine was born in Lancaster on 3 November 1961 and was aged just 27 at the time of her death at Hillsborough.

As a youth, she was very bright. She attended Lancaster Girls' Grammar School where she achieved success in both O-level and A-level results.

From a young age, she attended regular church services at her local United Reformed Church with her sister Charlotte and took part in church pantomime productions.

Charlotte sometimes talks about how they were always giggling in the pews, so that the minister often had to cast a cross glance in their direction.

Christine was very musical. She learnt quickly how to play the recorder, trumpet and guitar. She had a fine voice and was a member of the junior church choir.

In later years, she became more actively involved with the church and took on the role of Sunday school teacher.

Following in her mother's footsteps, Christine decided on a medical career and studied at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to become a radiographer.

Following graduation, she took up her first post at the Royal Preston Hospital. Her skills, knowledge and enthusiasm were soon recognised as she was quickly promoted to senior radiographer in neuroradiology there.

She enjoyed her career and was a popular member of staff.

When I qualified as a radiographer, I took on a position at the same hospital, where I met Christine.

One of the first things I noticed about her was how she would dominate a room when she walked in.

She was an effervescent, candid and lively girl, and made me feel welcome right from my first day.

Her family tells me that Christine loved music from a very early age.

According to Charlotte, Christine always went into record shops after school and often bought seven-inch vinyl records which she listened to with Charlotte.

Sometimes, they would inadvertently leave these on the windowsill and come back to find a record bent from the heat. Charlotte still laughs recounting this memory.

Her love of music continued into adulthood, and it was our common interest in music which cemented our friendship.

We were married in 1985 and loved to listen to contemporary bands of the 1980s, such as New Order and The Smiths.

She actually became a vegetarian because of a song by the Smiths called Meat is Murder.

Once we had heard the song, we removed all meat from the house. She did not wear leather or fur.

Christine loved animals. On one of our holidays, we went to a village near York and whilst taking a walk we came across a fledgling which had fallen from a tree.

We didn't know what to do with it, so Christine decided to take it back to the cottage which we were staying in and ask for a box.

The cottage owner said the mother should be looking for the bird and we should take it back to where we found it.

She also sponsored a donkey at the donkey sanctuary and brought home a rescue dog from an animal centre.

Christine was an amazing wife and excellent homemaker. She had an extensive range of vegetarian recipe books and loved to cook and take care of the family when they visited.

Even Charlotte, who did not enjoy Christine making her breakfast when they were younger because she made lumpy cereals, used to love Christine's cooking.

I remember that she was always prompt. She wasn't one to care too much about hair or fashion or styles, but she loved football.

As a teenager, she supported her local club, Blackpool Football Club and regularly attended the matches with her friends from the Blackpool Supporters' Club.

'Dearly missed wife'

Christine's mum says it's inevitable that she became a Liverpool supporter after meeting me, as this was my team.

The first time we went to Anfield together, Liverpool beat Luton Town 6-0. We stood in my usual spot, on the far left-hand side of the Kop.

Christine loved the atmosphere at the games and came with me often and became very involved. She became treasurer of the Liverpool FC Football Club branch in Preston, which meant she organised coaches, et cetera.

She was always the first to have her hand up whenever a volunteer was required. Indeed, I have heard her mum say that at school she did not always get on with her own work, as she was always sorting out everyone else's work.

However, she was a class ahead of herself.

We bought our first season tickets in the 1988-89 season. I am a great believer in superstition, I did not want to go to the semi-final in '89 because we did not go in 1988 and we played the same opposition and won.

She was always there when her father, mother or I needed her.

We were very happy in the four years we spent as husband and wife and I speak for her family and indeed myself when I say she is dearly missed today.