Feeling the profound loss of their beloved son and brother, the Abernethy-Hope family have turned their grief into something remarkably positive ever since – which has included a memorial Festival in their back garden with a surprise visit from MOBO and NME award-winning artist, Professor Green, plus the launch of a new charity.
Billy Abernethy-Hope was just twenty-years-old when he was tragically killed in a motorbike accident in Koh Tao whilst back-packing in Thailand. His parents say they had no idea how far and wide his loss would be felt.
Billy was an ambulance driver in Bristol, and before he left to go travelling, he spent time supporting the homeless. This was when he came up with an inspiring charity solution, the BillyChip.com, which attracted a lot of support and attention.
The idea is that the Billy Chip can be exchanged for food and drink in conjunction with participating retailers, so that the homeless actually have a choice over what they would like to consume. Often, those kind enough to donate will choose food for the homeless rather than ask, and Billy thought this would be a solution, empowering those in need.
Sadly though, Billy never got to set the Billy Chip up, due to his untimely death.
However, last month, his family held a memorial service for him in the form of a music festival, the ‘Fest-A-Bill’, as a funeral did not seem at all appropriate for such a young and vibrant soul. It also featured a huge Willow Viking Ship, which friends made shields for.
As chance would have it, Megan, Billy’s sister, had responded to a post by the rapper, singer and songwriter, Professor Green on Instagram about dealing with loss and grief. As a result, she ended up appearing in Rag’n’Bone Man and Pro Green’s music video, ‘Photographs’, and through this contact, Professor Green agreed to appear at the Fest-A-Bill, held at the family’s home in Bishop Sutton.
Only a select few backstage knew that the star would be joining the festival in Billy’s name, which also featured local bands and DJs, and nearly a thousand people attended.
As a result, nearly £20,000 was raised to launch the Billy Chip charity, which can be found at: www.billychip.com/ and via Facebook @TheBillyChip Last year, the family also raised £7,000 to send supplies to paramedics on Koh Tao.