The woman who sat with teenager Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes on the pavement after he was fatally stabbed has launched a dance show in his memory.
Queens Park mother Tamsin Nathan happened to be driving by just moments after Quamari, 15, was knifed by another teenager outside his school.
She said: “I was driving to collect my kids from school and I saw Quamari a few moments after it happened. I sat with him for about 45 minutes and tried to comfort him while another man rang for an ambulance. I was also involved in the court case. That’s when I decided I wanted to do something in his memory and in his name.”
She has created her show entitled Not Another Youth and will be among those performing at the One Love Festival on April 8 hosted by Quamari’s parents.
Ms Nathan, who has three children, aged eight, six, and three, has devised the 15 minute dance incorporating hip hop theatre, which tells the story of two boys, with different lives and two very different outcomes.
She said she learned about Quamari’s love of reggae and dance after he died as she got to know his family.
The 15-year-old was stabbed to death outside the Capital City Academy in Doyle Gardens on January 23. The school is to rename their theatre after him.
His teenage killer, who cannot be named, is serving a life sentence for his murder.
Ms Nathan added: “I knew Quamari for less than an hour but he touched my soul. So many young people think it’s normal to carry a knife. Kids need to think differently about what they are doing and see the repercussions and consequences of their actions.”
She said the money raised will go to developing the show. “Through generous donations I got the funding for this project but any extra funds can be used to develop the show. I’d like to use more dancers and take it around secondary schools in the future.”
Paul Barnes, Quamari’s father, said: “What she’s doing is pretty unique, she needs to do it for herself as she was first on the scene. The kids will love something like this. It’s different, performing arts, something they can relate to. It was what Quamari liked too, it was all him. It’s brilliant. Tamsin, you go girl.”
The One Love Festival is to be held at Capital City Academy, Doyle Gardens, on April 8 from 1pm-7pm.
To donate go to gofundme.com/knife-crime-no-life-left-untouched
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here