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Secret Millionaire bankrolls battle against knife attacks
Rob Singh19.06.08
A wealthy businesswoman who appeared on TV show The Secret Millionaire revealed today how she is bankrolling a new campaign to help tackle knife and gun crime in the capital.
Emma Harrison, who has an £80 million fortune, has co-founded Through UNITY, with Richard Taylor, the father of murdered 10-year-old Damilola Taylor, and Ian Levy, whose 16-year-old son Robert was killed trying to protect a friend in Hackney in September 2004.
Through UNITY is a coalition of 10 grassroots organisations working to stop youth and gang crime.
Members include groups such as the Flavasum Trust, which teaches teenagers music skills to keep them off the streets. It is run by Peter Sinclair, whose stepson, Tom Easton, 22, was stabbed to death in Islington in 2006.
Through UNITY has drawn up a manifesto that includes supporting victims' families and providing mentors for young people. It will also act as a joint political lobby group and provide the groups with support in areas such as fundraising and staff training.
Harrison, 44, said that as a mother she was horrified by the spate of deaths. So far this year, 16 teenagers have been stabbed to death in London, prompting the Evening Standard's Beat Knife Crime campaign.
"Most of these kids were not looking for trouble," she said. "That's why there needs to be culture change. You've got to get into the guts of this thing and people are going to have to be really brave about what is making young people behave like this."
Harrison, who has a home in Knightsbridge, will this year give around £100,000 to the charity. She said: "Through Unity was created by bringing together parties who were operating in their own space so they could create something powerful."
She realised small charities needed help after appearing on the Channel 4 reality show The Secret Millionaire. "The plan was to take the top people who are normally only available to the big charities and offer that support to the small guys," she said.
Over the next five years her training company A4E will also offer £2million worth of help through the Foundation for Social Improvement, which she set up last year.
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Paul Hunt in London. 'this knife crime mostly affects certain black kids...' I think your out of touch in your thinking here. Knife crime is blighting economically deprived areas, not any particular race, to simplify it along those lines is both convenient for some sections of society and ignorant. Personally, I believe too much emphasis is put on giving the kids what (we believe) they are interested in and not enough of what they need. They need sustainable futures outside of music and sport. These type of ventures, whilst commendable in intention, are effectively just holding pens. My hope is the FSI & Through Unity, in bringing these organisations to together, will find a more long term solution.
- Allan, London
Rob has highlighted in his article just one aspect of the Flavasum Trust's work. Music is particularly important to us because Tom was killed while he was working in a borough-run sound recording studio helping disadvantaged young people develop their musical talents. Equally important are other forms of creativity, like theatre, where we're supporting anti knife crime plays going into schools.
We are also trying to set up DJ courses in market towns outside London because there's so little for 14 to 16 year-olds to do in the evenings. And we're continuing a survey of young people about knife crime at the Tottenham Festival this weekend which shows just how worried under-11s are about going out alone in some areas of London.
Tomorrow we'll be at a conference we've been helping to organise at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre where those attending will be discussing how all the arts and sport can be used to reach and engage marginalised young people, especially in the context of the Cultural Olympiad, which starts in August.
These are just a few of the other things we're trying to do, as well as supporting Through Unity!
- Peter Sinclair, Royston
Helen in Norwich. The answer is because this knife crime mostly affects certain black kids whose lives are ruled by this barbaric gangster mentality.
We all know it but everyone's scared to say it, lest they get accused of racism.
- Paul Hunt, London
