‘Turning grief into something positive’

A helpline for families of murder victims has been backed by shadow minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan.

The  MP for Tooting stood in remembrance of Nicholas Stewart, 25, who was brutally stabbed to death eight times on August 13, 2014, on the Henry Prince Estate, Earlsfield.

Nicholas’s mother, Jennifer Beckford, had turned her grief and pain into something positive, said Dr Allin-Khan. “It shows, even through our darkest times, through grief, when we come together, we can be a formidable force for change and for good,” said Dr Allin-Khan. “Jennifer is the embodiment of how you turn your pain into power.”

Jennifer created the Nicholas Stewart Project to stop the senseless killing of children on our streets.

The charity aims to raise funds for a national anonymous helpline, the “What’s Bothering You?” helpline, to support grieving families.

It will target children carrying knives, too frightened to talk to anyone and not knowing where to turn to for help.

The project will also provide respite to bereaved families, paying costs of away trips where they can come to terms with their grief – which is what she felt she most needed.

The Nicholas Stewart Project will provide expert support and counselling. “I felt that for
someone with limited resources like myself, I had nobody to turn to – it was hard,” said Jennifer.
“With The Nicholas Stewart Project I want to support families who are in the situation I was in after Nicholas’s passing.”

The Nicholas Stewart Project also aims to set up youth clubs for young people to congregate, play sport in a place which can change their mind-set.

The project’s GoFundMe page is at: https://gf.me/u/ypx578.