Dream cafe named after much-loved Morecambe teenager

A warm-hearted teenager has died just days before realising her dream of running her own business.
Hannah Bachmann.Hannah Bachmann.
Hannah Bachmann.

Hannah Bachmann was looking forward to opening her own cafe on Morecambe seafront after working hard for months to get it ready.

But she died suddenly, aged 18, days before the grand opening of the Happy Bay Diner on Marine Road West.

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Now her family will name the cafe ‘Hannah’s Happy Bay Diner’ in memory of the 
bubbly trainee chef.

Hannah battled ill-health throughout her life but always faced challenges head-on and with a smile.

She was born prematurely when her mum Marie got diabetes and had to be revived when she stopped breathing.

As a child Hannah suffered with pneumonia and was diagnosed as allergic asthmatic, and doctors said she had the symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

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“When she was two, she couldn’t walk more than 10 steps most of the time but she would still love to dance and sing songs,” said Marie.

Hannah was gradually able to walk and run, but still had to attend physiotherapy and take medication.

“When she was six, we took her to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and they said take her home, we don’t know how long she’s got, enjoy the time you have left,” said Marie.

“Every single day since, she has made everybody’s lives better just by being there.”

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The family moved from Cambridgeshire to Morecambe and Hannah went to West End Primary School.

She later went to Heysham High and enrolled at Lancaster and Morecambe College to follow her dream of becoming a chef. There, she passed her first aid certificate and planned to work as a babysitter.

Hannah was also a huge wrestling fan who loved going to the bouts at the Winter Gardens.

Morecambe wrestler Johnny Phere (real name Jamie Hutchinson) was her favourite. Jamie said Hannah had “a lovely heart and a great bubbly and infectious personality”.

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Her biggest dream was to run her own 1950s and superhero-themed diner, alongside her sister Pippa. She spent hours researching the business and choosing the decor.

“She wanted it to be for children as well as adults and full of music and fun,” said Marie.

The cafe was due to open this weekend but this has now been delayed by a week.

Hannah is survived by her mum Marie, dad Alan and sisters Georgina and Pippa.

The family intends to run the diner in Hannah’s memory and raise money for a memorial bench to put outside.