Memorial show keeps my son's memory alive, says mum

A performing arts student who took his own life will be remembered at a concert in his honour this weekend.

Conor Dowers, 22, who was known as Banbury's Billy Elliot, died in London on 21 December 2020 while under the care of a mental health trust.

Friends and family of the talented young performer from Oxfordshire will come together later for a night of celebration and music in his memory.

Conor's mother Susan Dowers told the BBC she hoped the concert would be a "way of keeping his memory alive".

"It's very important - we think about him every day," she said.

Conor had taken dance classes since he was a young boy and was training to be an actor and singer at the Urdang Academy in London.

Following his death in 2020, an inquest found Conor had taken his own life at a construction site after he absconded from Highgate Mental Health Centre.

It concluded he died from suicide with cannabis as a contributing factor.

"He was a lovely young man, humble, caring, cheeky and he enjoyed Xbox, football, performing on stage and everything that a young lad would normally enjoy at that age," Susan said.

She said Conor had picked up the nickname Banbury's Billy Elliot after playing the lead role in a school production of the coming of age drama.

He got into dancing originally because his older sister had been taking classes and he "always wanted to do whatever she was doing", she added.

In 2024, Conor's family organised a first concert in his memory. Everyone who performed at the event had a connection to the aspiring performer in some way.

"People who took part last time hadn't seen each other for years since college or school and they said it was a lovely reunion," Susan said.

"Lots of people who saw the show - there were nearly 400 last time - said 'well, why don't you do another one', so we are."

Susan said this year's show would be "bigger than last time", with most performers from 2024 returning alongside new artists.

Legacy – A Concert for Conor is due to take place at St Mary's Church in Banbury at 19:30 GMT.

Tickets are available online, with funds raised by the show being donated to a variety of performance groups and charities.

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