Our Story
The B A Hope Foundation was set up in 2018 to continue the legacy of Billy Abernethy-Hope a twenty year old ambulance driver from Bristol who was the inspiration and idea behind The Billy Chip.
After helping support the homeless at Christmas, Billy, felt disheartened at how little support the general public gave to local homeless people. Many people donate to charity on a regular basis but Billy was surprised what a small percentage of donations were given directly to people living rough on our streets.
Turns out most people are apprehensive to give money directly to homeless people, because it’s not possible to know how a donation is spent. Unfortunately, the common perception is the money will be used for alcohol, drugs or cigarettes. Even if a donation of food or drink is given to safeguard your donation it is very awkward as people have to make assumptions of what the person wants and when they want it. The alternative is to engage with that person, ask the question and then purchase what’s required which many feel uncomfortable doing.
Billy recognised that the likelihood of someone having the time, inclination, courage, and kindness to engage with a homeless person to buy them food or drink was too big a challenge. That was the eureka moment when Billy first thought up the concept of the Billy Chip. Sadly Billy never got to launch The Billy Chip as he had planned due to his untimely death whilst backpacking in Thailand.
The Billy Chip is a token that can be purchased for a £2 donation via a retail outlet which supplies take away beverages like Tea & Coffee. The purchaser receives The Billy Chip which can be given to any homeless person instead of money. The homeless person can redeem The Billy Chip in any participating outlet displaying The Billy Chip sign for a hot or cold take away drink.
Each time a donation for a Billy Chip is received some of your money goes towards supporting the B A Hope Foundation to carry on working to support people in the local area and other causes close to Billy’s Heart. A proportion of the donation goes to the retailer to cover their costs and the costs of supporting the foundation’s function.
The brilliant and unique way The Billy Chip scheme works allows people to donate to the homeless without the worry of their donation being spent in an inappropriate manner. It also encourages retail outlets to do their bit for corporate social responsibility.
Our March fundraising campaign
We need to raise £150,000 to roll out the scheme to retailers in the UK, and set up the Billy Chip as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. In order to be able to do this we need a little bit of help, a lot of cash and as much love and support as you can give us. The money donated will go towards investing in gazillions of Billy Chips, starter packs for our Partners, merchandising, marketing, planning and implementing the roll out of the scheme.
Billy’s Birthday is on the 8th of March and sadly he also died in March, so this is a significant month for Billy’s family and friends. We continue to celebrate Billy every day and the kindness and compassion he always showed to others. This is why we have decided to raise funds this month to continue his legacy.
You’re fabulous and don’t you ever forget it!
The Mission
Our mission is to provide a worldwide platform which brings local people and our partners together to deliver, kindness, compassion and a free hot drink to homeless people living rough on our streets.
The Billy Chip can be given to any homeless person instead of money, the recipient can redeem The Billy Chip in any participating outlet for a drink and hopefully food or a night in a safe warm place in the future. The Billy Chip can be purchased for £2 via any participating retail outlet.
The Approach
- Introduce a unique currency (The Billy Chip) to encourage people to donate to homeless people on the street.
- Create a frictionless transaction for all.
- Safe guard your donations to prevent misuse.
- Expand into food and accommodation (multiples of chips).
- Spread a little random act of kindness to those less fortunate across the cities of the world.
The Situation
We need to engage with businesses who provide take away drinks and food to become part of the scheme. We need amazing people to share and talk about the idea to encourage companies to get involved.
We need to spread the word through existing charities, but most importantly we need fabulous people like you to buy Billy Chip’s and spread a little bit of humanity to those less well off than you.
A random act of kindness spreads faith hope and charity.
Partner Locations
Merchandise
Since the launch, and after global demand we have Billy Chip tees and hoodies available. As worn by Professor Green on the M.O.T.H tour.
Make a Donation
As well as purchasing a Billy Chip, you can also (if you wish) make a donation to our cause and soon-to-be registered charity. We operate as a not-for-profit organisation so all of your donation will go to the Billy Chip project.
Fest-a-Bill 2019
In July 2019 we held Fest-a-Bill to celebrate Billy Abernethy-Hope’s Life, it was a truly amazing event which saw nearly 1000 people, bands, DJ’s and one very special guest come together in a field on the outskirts of Bristol.
We raised nearly £20,000 on the day to help launch The Billy Chip and we have some exciting live music, fantastic food and collaboration events in the pipeline – DON’T MISS OUT click here to be added to the guest list and be kept up to date with all the latest.
Two of Billy’s lifelong friends from junior school filmed the event and have put together an incredible video which truly captures the feel and the vibe of the day so beautifully.
Phil Richards (photography) spent all day and all night endlessly running around capturing brilliant images of the day, just as well she is a triathlete and runs Marathons in her sleep!
Visit us on Facebook to view all that happened at Fest-A-Bill 2019 with special Guest Professor Green.
Follow Us
See all our latest updates and join in the conversation…
Contact
Jon (Co-Founder): jon@billychip.com
Meg (Co-Founder): meg@billychip.com
Leona (Head of Social Media): leona@billychip.com