A FRIEND of a young woman who died suddenly after drinking has described her death as “a horrible shock”.

Alice Burton Bradford died in her garden in the Elm Grove area of Brighton on Monday, June 1.

The 27-year-old had suffered from alcoholic ketoacidosis, a metabolic complication which can be triggered from drinking on an empty stomach.

Alice’s friend Aaron Mulvay, who had known her for eight years, said: “It was absolutely a horrible shock. No-one expected it at all.

“Just three weeks before she died, she had cycled over to say hello at a distance.

The Argus: Alice was described as a fun person who loved nature and the outdoorsAlice was described as a fun person who loved nature and the outdoors

“It’s just so weird as if we’d known that was going to be the last time we were going to see her we would have given her hugs, but we couldn’t at the time as we were in lockdown.”

Aaron first met Alice when they both worked at The Font bar in Brighton, and he said she was not an alcoholic.

The 30-year-old from Rottingdean said: “I had never even heard of alcoholic ketoacidosis until she died.

“We’re not sure how much she had been drinking that weekend, but she was not an alcoholic.

“She had not eaten enough and it had triggered an acid in her stomach.

“It was just so sudden – she didn’t even have to go to hospital, but had gone out into her garden and passed away there.

The Argus: Aaron said Alice "will be dearly missed"Aaron said Alice "will be dearly missed"

“It’s so tragic as she was such a young age.”

Aaron described Alice as a fun person who loved nature and running.

He said: “We worked together for four years at The Font but after she left we remained really good friends.

“We used to love going to festivals together, like the Wildlife Festival in Shoreham.

“Alice loved going out but she was also such a health freak – she was a member of running clubs and really enjoyed cycling.

The Argus:

“During lockdown she was always taking her dog out for walks to the beach and running every day.”

Aaron, who is in close contact with Alice’s family who live in Cornwall, has raised £979 so far in a crowdfunding campaign for a memorial bench.

He said: “None of us were able to go to Alice’s funeral so we want to put up a memorial to say our own goodbyes.

“We’d like to have it put on the cliffs at Roedean where Alice used to walk her dog, or in a nice park as she loved wildlife.

“We just want to raise as much as possible for a bench memorial and whatever is left over we will donate to a charity.

“I definitely believe there needs to be more information out there about the dangers of drinking when you have not eaten properly.

“Alice had so many friends and she will be dearly missed.”

To donate to the crowdfunding campaign for a memorial for Alice, go to the Aaron's GoFundMe page.