Carol concert held in memory of young people lost in knife crime in Croydon

My Ends Chair, Anthony King, on stage at Carol’s concert at Fairfields Hall in Croydon

Submitted by Shalina Alabaksh, for publication in the Croydon Advertiser

A Christmas carol concert, held at Fairfields Hall in Croydon on December 10, was dedicated to young people lost in 2021 to youth violence and knife crime.

Sponsored by Croydon Voluntary Action’s My Ends Project, the concert brought together Metropolitan Police Youth Engagement Teams with Croydon Cadets guiding guests to their seats and accompanying Croydon Mayor Sherwan Chowdhury.

Mayor Chowdhury was invited on stage to dance with Anthony King and Constable Flynn to officially open the concert entertaining the audience with their latest Tik Tok skills.

Jermaine Cools’ father was with his family on stage to speak about the pain of losing his son and the power of peace and forgiveness in front of an audience of 700 young people and children.

There were performances by Gopz, spoken poems by Dominique Writes, a dance performance by Release Your Moves, and rap by Luke and Lamar Waves.

John Fisher, director of the We sing u sing choir, collaborated with My Ends and Fairfields Halls singing a beautiful rendition of “I Smile” by Kirk Franklin.

DJ Milktray and his protégé DJ S-Rae played some fantastic tunes and woke the crowd up from the start.

Pastor Alison of Torchlight Ministries praised the performance.

Anthony King, President of My Ends, said: “Tonight was about building morale and showcasing the talent of our young people.

“Our delivery partners have worked tirelessly with families and children this year to make the coming year even more successful and positive.

“Ongoing projects, generously funded by the Mayor of London, are necessary to keep our young people engaged and safe, especially in these difficult times. “

The Croydon Advertiser covers areas including, but not limited to Coulsdon, Purley, Selsdon, Shirley, Thornton Heath and Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon.

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