Kiyan Prince: who he was and what happened:
Kiyan Prince was the first son born to Mark Prince and Tracy Cumberbatch on 25th November 1990.
He was a well loved young man who got on with everybody. Teachers, fellow pupils, Queens Park Rangers football team... actually anyone who came into contact with Kiyan counted it a privilege.
On May 18th 2006, Kiyan's life came to a tragic, untimely and unnecessary end. The loving nature that he lived by was what made him step in and defend his friend who was being picked on by another youth. The incident took place outside the gates of his school, the London Academy, located in Edgware North London. Kiyan attempted to resolve the situation in the most peaceable way by directly challenging the aggressor. The 'killer', 16 year old Hannad Hasan, believed that Kiyan had disrespected him because he stood up to him. He then turned and slaughtered Kiyan by plunging his knife straight into his chest. Kiyan died of a single, but fatal, stab wound to his heart.
Kiyan, who played for Queens Park Rangers' youth side, was dubbed The Bullet because of his speed. He was hailed as the next Wayne Rooney and tipped to play for England.
Even though he must have been very scared and in pain... his thoughts were still of others. As he lay bleeding to death he told his friends: "if these are my last words... tell my Mum I love her."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOEL EDMONDS PLEDGES LASTING LEGACY TO KIYAN PRINCE FOUNDATION
On the day that Oliver King-Onzila, 19, became London’s 26th knife victim this year, Noel Edmonds challenged members of the British public to stand-up and make a difference in Sky1's primetime entertainment special, Noel's HQ. He said: "We must accept that politicians can’t fix matters and recognise that it’s up to all of us to live less selfish lives and make Britain great again."
NOEL'S HQ set out with the ambition to make people realise that people power can make a difference and that by doing something good each day you can have an amazing impact – sometimes changing lives forever. Noel concluded: "This show on its own cannot hope to solve all problems, but hopefully we've entertained, inspired, encouraged and empowered people to do something to make an immediate and lasting difference."
NOEL's HQ took a look at the story of Kiyan Prince and the work being done by his father, Mark Prince. Since Kiyan's death, Mark has campaigned against knife crime in schools and set up The Kiyan Prince Foundation.
Noel commented: "Knife crime is, sadly, rarely out of the newspapers and as a story emerges of tragedy and wasted life, we're all left wondering what can be done about it and indeed if anyone is doing anything? The way Mark handled this tragedy is truly extraordinary. He has turned a negative into something truly inspirational for all of us."
A charismatic man, Mark's made a fantastic start working with young people, but Noel Edmonds wanted to give him a lasting legacy for Kiyan. In recognition of Mark's work, NOEL'S HQ have found a team of experts to assist the Kiyan Prince Foundation including top child psychologist and motivational speaker, Dr Tanya Byron; business mentor Rene Carayol (www.carayol.com) and public relations and marketing expert Adrian Lee from leading PR firm Taylor Herring (www.taylorherring.com). Each of our experts has offered a long-term commitment to enable The Kiyan Prince Foundation to reach their goals – not by giving financial aid but by giving of their time.
Moreover, Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton has invited Mark and his kids to the opening of his new gym in Manchester where he will talk to all of the children about channelling their goals; QPR Football Club (www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk) have agreed to host six work shops over the 2008/9 season with the KICKZ programme and are in talks to develop a long-term relationship with the KPF and, as such, confirmed that the KPF will be the benefactor of their charity collection at the home game against Charlton Athletic on November 25, what would have been Kiyan's 18th birthday; and Open Door Adventures (www.opendooradventure.co.uk) founder Dave Orange pledged access to his activity centre in North Wales for Mark and his organisation.
Finally, in recognition of the significant role that access to transport does play in giving the KPF's young people freedom and experience, Lex Vehicle Leasing donated a seven-seater vehicle to the charity. Noel said: "The importance of this facility to Mark's organisation cannot be underplayed. Something seemingly so simple can make a real difference. Some of these children have never been outside of London and to be able to give them an opportunity to truly engage and learn is remarkable. Hopefully all of these efforts will give a boost to Mark’s charity – I'm just truly delighted that we're able to help someone who has shown such courage. He's an inspiration."
When we talk about giving we inevitably think about money, but there is a much greater gift people can give. To see how you can get involved and make a difference please visit www.kiyan.org.
