Deborah Bone

Deborah Louise Bone MBE (10 January 1963^[1] – 30 December 2014) was a British mental health nurse who created the Brainbox, co-created Step2 and who became the subject of the Pulp song "Disco 2000", written by her close friend Jarvis Cocker.

Deborah Bone MBE
Bone (right) and Jarvis Cocker
Born	(1963-01-10)10 January 1963 Salford, Lancashire, England
Died	30 December 2014(2014-12-30) (aged 51) Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Mental health nurse
Spouse	Colin Bone
Children	2

Early years

Bone was born in Salford, England, later moved to Sheffield where her mother was friends with the mother of Jarvis Cocker, later a founder member of Pulp. When Bone was 10, her family moved to Letchworth, but she and Cocker remained friends.^[2]

At the age of 16, she began volunteering at Fairfield Hospital in Stotfold.^[3]

She was the subject of Cocker's song "Disco 2000", released in 1995, in which he sang:

Our mothers said we could be sister and brother. Your name is Deborah. Deborah. It never suited ya.

Cocker performed the song at her 50th birthday party.^[3]

Career

Bone qualified as a mental health nurse, eventually working for Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust as a service manager for early intervention and adolescent mental health service. While there, she set up their 'Step2 health' service as well as the Brainbox, which was created as a way to assist young people dealing with stress.^[3]

It was announced in the 2015 New Year's honours list that she had been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for "her services to children’s mental health".^[3]

Death

Bone was affected by the bone marrow cancer multiple myeloma. She died at home on 30 December 2014, 11 days before her 52nd birthday^[4] and the day her MBE was announced, and was survived by her husband Colin and two daughters.^[3]