A HEREFORD woman whose husband died three years ago from cancer has now lost her teenage son in a motorbike accident.

Ainsley Smith died in hospital last Saturday morning after his motorbike was in collision with a Range Rover on the main Hereford to Worcester road near Much Cowarne.

The 17-year-old helped raise £3,000 for St Michael’s Hospice following the death of his dad, Phil, when he joined his mum, Barbara, on a charity cycle ride around Leominster in November 2006.

Barbara told the Hereford Times this week that she had refused to pay for Ainsley’s Aprilia motorbike because she did not like him owning one. Instead, trainee chef Ainsley saved two months wages to buy the machine and had plans to go racing on the Isle of Man.

Barbara said it was typical of the teenager, who, she said, always knew what he wanted from an early age and dreamed of owning his own restaurant.

“He had a bike for the last two years, you had to let him do what he wanted,” she added.

Barbara said the death of Ainsley’s beloved father had made the former Whitecross High School pupil even more determined, a part of his personality that had recently seen him promoted to chef de partie at Hereford’s Green Dragon Hotel.

“He was a very positive lad and, although he lost his father, in life he picked himself up and went forward, and wasn’t going to let it get in the way,” she explained.

“He put his heart and soul into his job. He’d say ‘I am going abroad and I am going to make it big time’ – his father would have been very, very proud.” Since his death, Ainsley’s page on social networking website Bebo has been inundated with messages of love and support.

Barbara said: “He had lots of lovely friends, he was loved by everyone and never gave me any trouble – his Bebo is jam packed.” Instead of recounting their usual weekend antics together, friends logged on over the Bank Holiday to say how much he would be missed.

Gemma Summers was one of more than 50 to leave a message, saying: “There are not any words to even begin to describe how much everyone cares, loves you and how much you will be missed.” His former headteacher, Denise Strutt, said Ainsley had grown up quickly after his father died and he had kept in touch with a close group of friends since leaving school last July.

“He was a bit of a lad and was always very charming with me – he went on and did really well,” she said.

Ainsley, who was returning from seeing his girlfriend when the accident happened, was airlifted to Birmingham’s Selly Oak Hospital with serious head and chest injuries from outside the Fir Tree Garage at 11.15am last Friday.

However, he died in the early hours of last Saturday morning. The male driver of the 4x4 and his passenger were both uninjured.

Police want anyone who saw the collision or either vehicle travelling along the road beforehand to call PC Steve Wood on 08457 444888.

Ainsley is survived by brothers Matthew and Richard and sisters Kelly and Denise. He was the grandson of Lillian and the late Donald Smith, of Leominster, and John and Sheila Jones, of Hereford.