BillyChip® Chosen as Charity for New Memory Rose.
Jennifer Rose Sell Bloom Launched at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022
BillyChip® will be the nominated charity for a new rose being launched at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Jennifer Rose Sell bloom has been created in memory of a young Somerset woman who was an innocent victim of a road traffic incident caused by a drunk driver.
The Rose, which has been bred by Philip Harkness of Harkness Roses, will be one of three new plants launched by the world-renowned rose breeder at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
After the launch, the Rose will be available for £22.99 RRP with £2.50 from each sale donated to BillyChip. The funds will be used to provide Starter Boxes for new outlets signing up to the BillyChip scheme.
Jon Hope, Co-Founder at BillyChip shared: “Jenny joined us for one of our first events to raise money to start-up BillyChip. In her memory, Jenny’s friends and family have been raising money to create the Jennifer Rose Sell bloom and her parents decided that a proportion of the sale of each Rose will be donated to our scheme. This is such a positive collaboration, created out of such tragedy, that will create an everlasting legacy for two incredible young people.”
The Rose was created following a fundraising effort initiated by the mothers of Jenny’s school friends who began knitting and crocheting roses and selling them locally. Huge demand for the handcrafted roses saw knitting groups, crafters, community groups, friends and individuals from across the country stepping in, with some roses arriving from as far as the USA and New Zealand.
The ’Jennifer Rose Sell‘ rose is a mid-pink floribunda that creates a beautiful display with up to 30 petals per bloom, and 6-8 flowers per cluster. It offers repeat flowering from early summer through to the first frosts, which is even more rewarding because of its gorgeous fragrance. Perfect for beds, borders, and large patio containers, it grows to approximately 90cm tall.
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For more information, photography or interviews please contact:
Emma Cooper
01243 214175
M: 07909 867347
E. emma@recenseo.co.uk
About BillyChip®
BillyChip is a new social enterprise platform which aims to empower rough sleepers. The platform allows people to purchase a BillyChip token from participating food and drink outlets which can then be given to rough sleepers and homeless people as an alternative to cash. They can then redeem the BillyChip for food, drink and other products.
BillyChip was set up in 2018 to continue the legacy of Billy Abernethy-Hope, a twenty year old ambulance driver from Bristol. After helping support the homeless, Billy felt disheartened at how little the general public gave to local homeless people. Although many make regular charitable donations, Billy was surprised at the small percentage of donations given directly to people living rough for fear of the money being used for drugs or alcohol. The BillyChip offers a solution, delivering kindness, compassion and food and drink to homeless people in the UK.
The BillyChip Foundation was established as a registered charity by Meg Abernethy-Hope, Billy’s sister, and Jon Hope, Billy’s father. In 2021, Meg was awarded the Diana Award for her charitable work.
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About Jennifer Rose Sell
On 31st July 2019 Jenny was driving home when her car was hit by a speeding drunk driver. She tragically died at the scene – aged just 20 years old. Jenny’s family and friends were shocked and deeply affected by her sudden loss and wanted to honour her memory with a lasting legacy. The decision was made to have a rose created and cultivated in her memory – especially poignant given Jenny’s middle name.
Cultivating a new rose can be costly and time consuming, sometimes taking up to seven years, at a cost of around £10,000. To raise funds the mothers of Jenny’s school friends began knitting and crocheting roses with a view to selling them locally. With huge demand for these handcrafted roses it became increasingly difficult to keep supplying all the local outlets with sufficient numbers. Knitting groups, crafters, community groups, friends and individuals from across the country stepped in, with some roses arriving from as far as the USA and New Zealand. Incredibly the financial target was achieved in less than five months, just before the first lockdown in March 2020.
The pandemic lockdown created a number of delays to the original plans but the expertise of Philip Harkness, world renowned rose cultivator, and David White, ensured that the wonderful ‘Jennifer Rose Sell’ bloom was created and launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022.
Notes to Editors:
Pictures and more information available on request.
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