The Mizen family and relatives of the seven other victims of violence with their shirts Pic: For Jimmy Charity
The family of the murdered schoolboy Jimmy Mizen stood with relatives of seven other young victims of violence in front of Millwall fans on March 7.
The event, dubbed Jimmy’s Day at the Den, was organised by For Jimmy, a charity set up to remember Mizen, a Millwall fan from Lewisham who was killed 2008 in Lee aged 16 in an unprovoked attack.
His parents were joined on the pitch by relatives of seven other victims of violence, each holding the shirt of the football team their relatives had supported.
The young men were all supporters of London football teams including Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Charlton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Chelsea and Millwall and were given signed shirts as part of the day.
The For Jimmy charity was founded in 2009 by the Mizen family and aims is to make communities more secure by creating safe havens – places where young people can ask for help.
His mother Margaret Mizen said he was a “lovely little boy who was always smiling”.
Connor O’Brien, PR and communications Officer at the For Jimmy charity, explains how the idea of hosting the event at Millwall FC came about. He said: “Jimmy was a Millwall fan at the time so it was only right to do it at the ground because it gives people the chance to celebrate his life. This year was the 4th event held by the charity but this year in particular was extremely different because we got the families included.”
O’Brien said: “We’ve gone into schools and started working with families particularly in Lewisham and other areas. Along with that we have created awareness programs because one person dying is one person too many. We need to invest in the safety of the young people.”
The For Jimmy charity hopes to continue to make a difference in not just Lewisham but other boroughs too. Barry Mizen, Jimmy’s father said: “It’s about what can we do together to bring change. We can’t change what has happened but we can change what will happen.”
