Please Help Billy Get His Future Back !
Donation protected
Billy Agnew and his family run a Social Enterprise in East Lothian called Viarama, which helps people explore the world through Virtual Reality. Reaching out to schools, hospices, residential and care homes, Billy gives people the chance to see and experience the wonders of the world which they may not have the chance to otherwise. You can see Billy's website here http://viarama.co.uk/
But in the early hours of Saturday 9th February, those wonderful chances - and Billy's family's livelihood - were snatched away after thieves broke in to his premises and stole his future, and the chance for other people to live life to the fullest, too.
Says Billy "The break-in happened in the early hours of Saturday morning, and they took all of our VR Kit, the laptop we use to work in schools, nursing homes, hospices, respite centres and libraries, and various other bits and bobs we just can't work without.
We'd also collected some money for Leuchie House in a tin at the front door, and they even took that - which was possibly the hardest part of all. The total value of our kit was around £20,000.
I'm in bits about this, as it jeopardizes everything we've worked so hard to create over the last few years. If we are going to get back up and running again it would need to be like Fort Knox because I don't think I could deal with this happening again.
At the moment we have no kit to deliver the work we're contracted to deliver, including work at Granton Primary School and St. Columba's Hospice in the coming weeks.
In addition to this, my family and I now have no income, which is another strain I'm trying to protect my family from."
Thank you so very much for visiting this site, and if you can help Billy start to get his future back, even in a small way, we will be so very grateful to you.
Some existing press links are below, the local weekly paper 'East Lothian Courier' comes out 14.2.19 and should carry the story.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thieves-steal-viarama-virtual-reality-kit-used-by-hospice-patients-2996mj8t9
https://www.bigissue.com/latest/vr-social-enterprise-devastated-after-break-in-near-edinburgh/
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/thieves-steal-up-to-20k-of-virtual-reality-kit-from-lothians-social-enterprise-1-4871054
https://digit.fyi/robbers-steal-20k-of-vr-kit-from-viarama/
*UPDATE* Billy has advised me that his insurers are preparing to pay his claim for the break in and theft, which will hopefully start to put things right. In the meantime, a massive and heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have donated, sent good wishes, and supported Billy and his family through this awful time. HJ 09/03/2019
But in the early hours of Saturday 9th February, those wonderful chances - and Billy's family's livelihood - were snatched away after thieves broke in to his premises and stole his future, and the chance for other people to live life to the fullest, too.
Says Billy "The break-in happened in the early hours of Saturday morning, and they took all of our VR Kit, the laptop we use to work in schools, nursing homes, hospices, respite centres and libraries, and various other bits and bobs we just can't work without.
We'd also collected some money for Leuchie House in a tin at the front door, and they even took that - which was possibly the hardest part of all. The total value of our kit was around £20,000.
I'm in bits about this, as it jeopardizes everything we've worked so hard to create over the last few years. If we are going to get back up and running again it would need to be like Fort Knox because I don't think I could deal with this happening again.
At the moment we have no kit to deliver the work we're contracted to deliver, including work at Granton Primary School and St. Columba's Hospice in the coming weeks.
In addition to this, my family and I now have no income, which is another strain I'm trying to protect my family from."
Thank you so very much for visiting this site, and if you can help Billy start to get his future back, even in a small way, we will be so very grateful to you.
Some existing press links are below, the local weekly paper 'East Lothian Courier' comes out 14.2.19 and should carry the story.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thieves-steal-viarama-virtual-reality-kit-used-by-hospice-patients-2996mj8t9
https://www.bigissue.com/latest/vr-social-enterprise-devastated-after-break-in-near-edinburgh/
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/thieves-steal-up-to-20k-of-virtual-reality-kit-from-lothians-social-enterprise-1-4871054
https://digit.fyi/robbers-steal-20k-of-vr-kit-from-viarama/
*UPDATE* Billy has advised me that his insurers are preparing to pay his claim for the break in and theft, which will hopefully start to put things right. In the meantime, a massive and heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have donated, sent good wishes, and supported Billy and his family through this awful time. HJ 09/03/2019
Organizer and beneficiary
Helena Johnson
Organizer
William Agnew
Beneficiary
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