Sister brings a cardboard cut-out of brother to festival after he died

Woman, 26, whose brother died in a car crash aged 19 honours his memory by bringing a cardboard cut-out to a Swansea festival he was due to attend with friends

• Ashleigh Rogers, 26, from Swansea, lost her brother Ben, 19, in a car crash in May
• To celebrate him, she decided she wanted to attend the festival he’d booked
• She took a cardboard cut-out of him to the Escape Festival he was due to attend 

A woman whose younger brother died in a car crash has took a cardboard cut-out of him to a festival he was due to attend.

Ashleigh Rogers, 26, a childminder, from Swansea, Wales, lost her brother Ben Rogers, 19, in a fatal car crash in May – but decided she wanted to go to the festival he’d booked with friends in his honour.

Bringing the cardboard cut-out with her, Ashleigh couldn’t believe the huge positive response she got from people who wanted their photo with Ben, and how people loved what she’d done.

Ashleigh revealed Ben’s cut-out got plenty of female attention too, with the cut-out covered in lipstick from the large amount of kisses it received by the end of the Escape Festival in her hometown.

Ashleigh Rogers (pictured right), 26, a childminder, from Swansea, Wales, lost her brother Ben Rogers, 19, in a fatal car crash in May – but decided she wanted to go to the festival he’d booked with friends in his honour

Bringing the cardboard cut-out with her (pictured right), Ashleigh couldn’t believe the huge positive response she got from people who wanted their photo with Ben, and how people loved what she’d done. Pictured left, Ashleigh and Ben pictured together before his death

Ashleigh explained: ‘When I was at the festival I was getting stopped so many times by people asking me about what it was and asking to take photos.

‘I don’t know where the idea came from? I was going to sell Ben’s ticket as he was going with his best friend, but I decided I’d go in honour of him and experience it on behalf of him as he never got the chance.

‘Then I thought, if I’m going, he’s coming with me! It was the first festival he’d have gone to, and he just had to go.

‘I was a little embarrassed walking around with it as I could hear people saying “OMG it’s Ben” but I feel comfortable talking about it and when I saw his friends, it was fine.’

Ashleigh revealed Ben’s cut-out (pictured centre) got plenty of female attention too, with the cut-out covered in lipstick from the large amount of kisses it received by the end of the Escape Festival in her hometown

Ashleigh(pictured right) explained: ‘When I was at the festival I was getting stopped so many times by people asking me about what it was and asking to take photos.’

Ashleigh said: ‘I don’t know where the idea came from? I was going to sell Ben’s ticket as he was going with his best friend, but I decided I’d go in honour of him and experience it on behalf of him as he never got the chance’. Pictured, the cut-out of Ben

She continued: ‘Ben was a very outgoing person, he loved going out and was very chatty. 

‘I didn’t realise he had so many friends but many people came up to me wanting photos, it was like I was famous. Everyone knew him and it made me quite emotional – it made me cry.

‘The amount of people who wanted to talk to me about him, it’s like he was there.’

Ashleigh kept the cut-out a secret from Ben’s best friend, Sam Esqualant, 19, and explained: ‘But when he saw it, he couldn’t believe it. He had a photo with it straight away.’

Ashleigh (pictured right) said: ‘Ben was a very outgoing person, he loved going out and was very chatty.

Ashleigh kept the cut-out a secret from Ben’s best friend, Sam Esqualant, 19, and explained: ‘But when he saw it, he couldn’t believe it. He had a photo with it straight away.’

Ashleigh found an online company who sent the cut-out (pictured right) the day after she ordered it, and now keeps it in her home, speaking to it as if Ben’s still there

She found an online company who sent the cut-out the day after she ordered it, and now keeps it in her home, speaking to it as if Ben’s still there.

She said: ‘I talk to him in the house like he’s with me. It’s just my way of coping. I still text him as well and speak to him like he’s here.

‘I sent a video to my parents when it first arrived telling them I had a visitor. My dad was quite emotional about it and my mum said it was amazing.

‘I just can’t believe how well people took it. I’ve had a few comments on my TikTok video saying it was disrespectful, but I did it for him to experience.’

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