LATE BILLY ARNOLD’S DREAM TO JOIN JAY MILLER’S CIRCUS FULFILLED

The family of the late Billy Arnold gathered at his favourite place – Jay Miller’s Circus – last week to remember Billy with members of the circus team and to hand over a necklace containing some of his ashes.

Billy sadly passed away in March this year, aged just 25, after battling against kidney failure. He had lived with complex needs and suffered from a lack of being able to communicate, but what was always clear was his love of Jay Miller’s Circus.

His mother, Lisa, had been taking Billy to the circus since he was a small boy. He used to get increasingly excited each year as the grass was cut at the Racecourse and then the big top started going up.

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The team at Jay Miller’s always treated Billy like a king and, last year, when it became clear that his health was failing, they gave the family 25 free tickets so that they could all go together and enjoy Billy’s last visit to the circus.

Heartbreakingly, Billy asked his mum to take him back again this year and, despite the grief she feels from losing him, Lisa managed to go one better and ensure that Billy will travel with the circus wherever they go.

On Friday (24th July), family members gathered at the circus to present Liz Miller with a necklace containing some of Billy’s ashes which will travel the length and breadth of the country with the circus and – as Liz said – “he’ll watch the show every night”.

Billy always wanted to be in the circus and particularly loved Pepe the Clown. His uncle Louis has even got a tattoo of Pepe on his arm, which he proudly showed off to the team on Friday.

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For the last 3 weeks of Billy’s life, he was at Mountbatten Hospice where he was brilliantly looked after by the team there. Billy’s cousin, Caitlyn, is doing a skydive next month in his memory in order to raise funds for Mountbatten Isle of Wight. You can donate to Caitlyn’s fundraiser here.