I am a member of this community, I am a black woman and I say no to all teenagers and youths carrying a knife.

Peguy Kato lost her son Champion Ghanda to the horrors of knife crime. He was brutally stabbed to death on the streets of Forest Gate for no reason. He was not carrying a knife, he was not selling drugs, he was not part of a gang, he was just a young lad out with his friends.

Today, Peguy has dedicated her life in trying to help all youngsters stay away from knife crime. She has set up ‘Champion’s Charity’ in memory of her son and spends her time, helping families and organisations fight the scourge of knife crime.

Peguy writes in the Havering Daily.

Nobody has the right to walk in the street with a knife, a knife will not protect you it will destroy your life and other peoples.

I am a member of this community, I am a black woman and I say no to all teenagers and youths carrying a knife.

Please let us stop judging people by their race, white or black nobody has the right to hold a knife. I know first hand how it feels to lose a child over knife crime. Instead of judging by race, the skin we are in, we as a community must stand together against knife crime.

It’s not fair. In my own house I do not allow my own children to carry a knife because it makes me sick and still traumatises me.

So rather than us judging the race or the skin colour, let us all support our children, all races, because children are our future.

I feel sad many times when all my support comes only from outside of this borough. I attend conferences and let the borough know that I want to get involved with my community to help our children to understand the value of life and the pain their bad decisions can make.

I’m helping Barking and Dagenham police, helping in schools outside of this borough and have set up my own anti-knife conference for parents in Newham. I can see the impact we can make if we all work together as one, united as a community. I also go to prisons and help reform youngsters there.

I hope Havering can come together and work as a community against knife crime. If we stand united as people, regardless of the colour of our skin, we can help our youngsters grow up in a better world.