THE family and friends of a teenager who died when his moped crashed last summer are holding a charity ball to mark what would have been his 17th birthday.
Downend School pupil Conor Hall's moped crashed in Charlton Road in Kingswood last June.
The 16-year-old, of Ridgeway Road in Fishponds, died from severe head injuries in Frenchay Hospital a few days later.
It resulted in his family starting the "Clip Up for Conor" campaign as his helmet had not been fastened and came off in the accident.
They want to ensure all moped and motorbike users clip up their helmets so their life could be saved if they fall off.
Now Conor's family have organised a charity ball, which will take place this weekend and raise money for Headway, a charity which works with brain injured people.
The event, on Saturday, is being held at the Holiday Inn, Filton. Starting at 7pm and running until 1am, the ball will include a four-course meal, auction, live entertainment and a disco.
His family also wants to see some of the money raised go towards funding an on-call counsellor – which is something they feel would have helped them during the five days when Conor was fighting for his life in Frenchay Hospital.
They say they have been inundated with prizes for their auction and raffle – including dinner for four at Jamie Oliver's restaurant Barbecoa in London; a customised child's scooter worth £300 from local company Krazy Kranks; beauty treatments; hotel stays; and signed DVDs from comedian Andy Ford.
At Conor's inquest in October, coroner Maria Voisin found Conor's death was an accident and returned a verdict that included the factors that had led to the crash.
The police officer who investigated the scene of the collision, PC David Horsley, told the inquest at the Coroner's Court in Flax Bourton that there was contact between the moped and two pedestrians but no one had seen the moment when Conor's moped hit them.
Mr Horsley said that he believed Conor's helmet was not fastened prior to the incident and praised the campaign launched by the teenager's family in the wake of his death.
Ms Voisin concluded: "The deceased sustained a significant head injury causing death following a fall from a moped. He fell from the moped after contact with pedestrians crossing on the road he was travelling on."
She said that Conor's helmet came off as he had not fastened it and he suffered a large brain haemorrhage. An MRI scan showed that the teenager had suffered a severe brain injury, which led to his death.
The coroner backed the family's Clip Up for Conor campaign and said she would write to the council's road safety unit to call for more awareness of the need for teenagers to fasten motorcycle helmets.
Anyone interested in tickets, which cost £37.50 and include bucks fizz on arrival, should call 07581 267561.
ends
Source: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Ball-held-memory-Conor/story-15430059-detail/story.html
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