Following the violent deaths of their children and experiencing a profound need to bring something good and positive out of something bad, affected families have come together to make a difference.

E tenebris lux. From the darkness (comes) light.

ANDRE | ANDREW | BEN | DAMILOLA | DAVID | JASON | JIMMY
JOHNSON | KIYAN | KODJO | LLOYD | ROB

Damilola’s Story

07th December  1989 – 27th November 2000 (10 years old when taken)

Known to all as Damilola, he was just 10 days short of his 11th birthday when he died.  Born and brought up in Lagos, Nigeria, he had come to Britain three months earlier with his mother Gloria, elder sister Bemi and elder brother Tunde. Damilola’s father Richard had to stay behind in Lagos because of his work.

Gloria and Richard Taylor had met and married in Britain in 1977, but left for West Africa in 1982. They returned to England in 2000 to get better treatment for Bemi, who suffered from a severe form of epilepsy. Soon after arriving, she became ill and was admitted to King’s College Hospital. The family stayed in London with a relative on a north Peckham estate, so Bemi could continue receiving treatment. Damilola, who said his ambition was to become a doctor to cure his sister’s illness, was enrolled at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in Camberwell.

He made good progress in class and was well-liked – teachers saying he was “always smiling and seemed to be bouncing along when he walked”. But he soon began to complain to his mother that he was being bullied. He registered with the computer club at the Peckham library and would go there most days straight after school. A committed Christian and keen to learn, he became fascinated by the world wide web and began to develop many big ideas for the future.

A plaque unveiled a year after his death carried some of the last words he had written, revealing the extent of his ambition and a enduring message which the Damilola Taylor Trust adopted – it said  “I will travel far and wide to choose my destiny and remould the world, I know it is my destiny to defend the world, which I hope to achieve during my lifetime,” the plaque reads.

OUT OF THE DARKNESS COMES LIGHT

The Damilola Taylor Trust

Damilola’s parents set up the Damilola Taylor Trust on the first anniversary of his death to give “life, opportunity and hope” to Britain’s “downtrodden and underprivileged youth”. The trust, is one of the countries most establish anti violence organisations in the country and runs all manner of out reach programmes , as well as coordinating many of the recent initiatives – from helping to establish The Spirit of London Awards, through to being an active driving force behind Families Utd.

The Damilola Taylor Centre

The Damilola Taylor Centre opened in July 2002, following the refurbishment of an existing youth facility on the same site, and offers sports and activity programmes for 11 to 25 year olds. At present over 900 young people are involved in projects at the centre.

Cllr Caroline Pidgeon, executive member for children’s services and education at Southwark Council, said:

“It’s important we recognise the achievements of these young people, who regularly come along to the centre, work hard, and get great results. I’d like to congratulate them, and the parents, volunteers and staff who make it all happen.  The number of young people who choose to spend time at the Damilola Taylor Centre is a real indication of the focus it provides in the community.”

The Spirit of London Awards

The Spirit of London awards are an aspirational new awards scheme for young Londoners.

Launched in 2009 with a unique range of awards and a major awards show event the Spirit of London awards will illuminate good examples of the vibrant young people from an eclectic mix of multicultural backgrounds that help make London the greatest city in the world. In its great history the metropolis has survived much conflict and trauma. Through every challenge faced the spirit of London has always prevailed.

It is the people of Britain’s capital city that provide its backbone and its young people that provide its future.

Government Envoy for Knife Crime

Richard Taylor became a special envoy to the Prime Minister working on tackling youth violence and knife crime. As special envoy, Richard will primarily be talking to other families who have been affected by serious youth violence and developing ideas for changing youth behaviour. Through speaking directly to families who are struggling to come to terms with the loss of a family member, Richard will build on and bring together the work already being undertaken by victims’ families and community groups.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

“Since the tragic death of his son, Damilola, Richard has worked tirelessly to end the senseless violence that has ruined so many young lives, families and neighbourhoods. As envoy, Richard will be able to share the experiences of families who have directly been affected by youth violence and their thoughts on how young people’s behaviour can be changed. Knife crime will be a particular focus for Richard. By carrying a knife you are not only endangering the lives of others, but you are more likely to be killed, or end up in jail.  We need to change the way young people think about knives, we need families and communities working together, and we need influential role models, like Richard, to get this message across and help stamp out knife crime and get weapons off our streets.”

Richard Taylor said:

“This role is very important to me and everyone affected by knife crime. I intend to reach out to everyone in the local communities and work closely with them to help bring violence amongst young people to an end.”

This is a voluntary role Richard is taking on in a personal capacity and it is expected that the appointment will be for one year in the first instance.

To arrange a visit from a member of Families Utd please contact us via contact us
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