A Peckham florist is the latest business to become a safe haven –a place young people can go if they are in trouble – after the scheme was set up by the family of a murdered teen.
The charity ‘For Jimmy’ was established after sixteen-year-old Jimmy Mizen was murdered in 2008. The Safe Haven project asks businesses to display signs in their windows letting young people know they can go in there for safety if they are under attack. The business owners agree to lock their doors and call the police if a young person seeks safety with them.
Pupils from Harris Boys Academy haven been working with For Jimmy since October in a new partnership between Southwark Council and the charity to identify more safe havens in the borough.
The boys signed up over 30 shops in Peckham, including The Flower Shop on Peckham High Street, run by Brenda Amey. “It was lovely to have the young people come into my shop and I was more than happy to sign up to the scheme. It was great to see them taking responsibility for the safety of others within the community, and actively trying to make it a safer place for everyone,” she said.