A Tribute to Billy from Callum Woods

I was lucky enough to have known Billy since the age of 6. We met playing Sunday league football where his Dad Paul was the manager. We played together until about the age of 12, when we both left the team and we then started to see each other again from the age of 16 where we had the same group of friends. He was always laughing and up for doing anything you wanted to do, wasn’t a fighter or a trouble maker, he was someone you could always talk to and proud to have as a mate.

At 21 years old Billy’s life was cruelly taken away from him by someone carrying a knife. He hadn’t ever met them before it was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Losing someone who had become one of your best friends and someone you had known for years was the hardest thing myself and everyone else had to go through. Hemel Hempstead isn’t known for knife crime, stuff like that was unheard of here at the time and losing Billy affected us all deeply.

A year had passed and his mates all got together and decided we wanted his name to live on so we made a Sunday league football team called Doves United, where Paul Billy’s Dad was the manager. Every Sunday we playing in his name and become very successful, winning many trophies in his memory. Such good memories created, however from such a terrible experience.

Carry knifes destroys so many people’s lives. Families get ripped apart and friendship groups get broken. Don’t waste your life carrying a knife, be the bigger person and say no!