Billy’s bench was made for a little boy whose mum described him in her very first email as “a little superhero” — and the bench makes that completely clear: sunflowers, lightning bolts, and the words POW! and WHAM! hand-carved across the backrest in comic-book style, beneath the inscription BILLY THE BRAVE.
Ellie Thompson, an editor at the parenting website My Baba, got in touch in May 2024 with an urgent request. Billy had died, and she wanted a bench for his school — somewhere the children who loved him would have a place to sit, to remember him, and to keep feeling the particular energy he’d brought to that building. The design came from who he was: sunflowers because he was bright and bold; lightning bolts because his spirit had that charge; and the words “I am brave, I am strong, and I can do scary things” because that had been his motto, and the school needed to keep hearing it after he was gone.
“The bench is fantastic; thank you so much! It is so much appreciated.”
— Ellie Thompson, My Baba
A three seater at 160cm — big enough for several children to sit together. It’s also available as a two seater. Your version would be designed around whoever you’re remembering, starting with a conversation about who they were. Prices include VAT.
Key Features
- Solid oak throughout
- Bespoke design reflecting the personality and story of the person remembered
- Hand-carved imagery, lettering and personalised inscription — example: sunflowers, lightning bolts, comic-style words
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Choose your finish — supplied unvarnished as standard, or add three coats of Epifanes yacht varnish for lasting colour and sheen (+£50)
- Available as two seater (140cm) or three seater (160cm)
- Suitable for schools, gardens, churchyards and parks
- Handmade in Mid Wales
Dimensions
- Three seater (as pictured): W160 × D60 × H120cm
- Two seater: W140 × D60 × H120cm
- Seat height approx 45cm
Your Version
Tell us who the bench is for — their name, their personality, the images and words that feel right. We’ll draw up a design and refine it with you before we begin. Schools can order on a purchase order. Typical lead time is 4–5 weeks; we can often work around ceremony and unveiling deadlines. Get in touch to start the conversation.
Finish
This piece is supplied unvarnished as standard. Left natural, solid oak slowly weathers to a soft, silvery-grey — completely normal for outdoor timber, a graceful way for a piece to age, and with no maintenance needed. If you’d prefer to bring out the grain and warm, honeyed tones, choose the varnished option (+£50) and we’ll hand-apply three coats of Epifanes, a premium marine yacht varnish.
More about the two finishes
Outdoor furniture takes a real beating from sun and weather. Left natural, an unvarnished piece simply silvers over time and asks nothing of you. A varnished piece keeps its rich sheen for a couple of years; after that the varnish may begin to flake or patch, at which point you can simply re-coat it, or let it weather back to that natural silvery-grey. Either way, your oak is fine.
