Damilola Taylor honoured as community garden design unveiled

A new community garden has been designed to honour Damilola Taylor, who was 10 years old when he was fatally stabbed.

Created by local teenagers from Peckham, south-east London, and Ghanaian artist Godfried Donkor, the Garden of Hope will include planting beds, seating areas and a mural, featuring traditional West African Adinkra symbols.

On 27 November 2000, Damilola was walking home from the library in Peckham Square, when he was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle. He staggered to a stairwell on the North Peckham Estate, where he collapsed and died.

The garden design, representing resilience, unity and new beginnings, was unveiled on what would have been his 36th birthday.

Damilola’s death gripped the country and led to renewed debate about youth violence, policing and opportunities for young people in inner-city areas.

Twenty-five years on, the garden has been designed in memory of the 10-year-old.

The unveiling marked a milestone that many in the community described as “painful, but important to acknowledge”.

Organisers from the Damilola Taylor Trust and Southwark Council said they wanted the site to commemorate Damilola’s life and offer young people a calm, creative space in the heart of Peckham.

One participant said the mural is intended to show that “something positive can grow from something tragic”.

Star Wars actor John Boyega, who was Damilola’s friend and one of the last people to see him before he died, sent a video message to the event.

“It’s great to see that the Damilola Taylor Trust continues to create spaces and opportunities for young people in Peckham,” he said.

Directly addressing local students in the area, he added: “You deserve an opportunity, you deserve a great space.”

Damilola’s father Richard Taylor, who died last year, established the Damilola Taylor Trust with the aim of supporting disadvantaged young people and providing opportunities that might keep them safe and inspired.

Over the past 25 years, the trust has run mentoring schemes for young people in London’s most deprived communities, launched the Damilola Taylor Centre in Southwark, hosted annual awards celebrating youth achievement, partnered with schools, charities and youth organisations and campaigned on youth violence, mental health and safety.