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Jimmy’s parents: ‘We made a promise to remain positive’

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New crime figures published today show another rise in violent crime.

Ten years ago, the day after he turned 16, Jimmy Mizen bled to death in a bakery in Lee, southeast London.

Teenager Jake Fahri threw an oven dish at Jimmy. The dish shattered after hitting Jimmy on the chin and a shard of glass cut vital blood vessels in his neck.

Fahri, 19, was jailed for life in 2009 and ordered to serve a minimum 14-year sentence.

Here Jimmy's parents Barry and Margret Mizen MBEs talk about all the things they have missed because their son was taken away from them at such a young age.

On 10 May this year we marked the 10-year anniversary of Jimmy's death.

For our family, it wasn't simply a time to look back, it was also a celebration of what is and what is to come.

So, as well as our profound sadness, we raised our heads with pride over what has been achieved in Jimmy's name.

We remember Jimmy as being an unusually easy child, always smiling, and rarely needing to be told off.

Those who knew him remember the happy-go-lucky, whistling-as-he-walked, smiling jokester.

But Jimmy was 16 when he was taken from us, and perhaps there would have been changes as he navigated the choppy waves of teenage life into the wilder seas of adulthood.

It may sound perverse, but we and his friends would love to have experienced those stressful rites-of-passage most people can't wait to forget.

Image: Barry and Margaret Mizen at the tenth anniversary memorial service for Jimmy

For instance, being woken by Jimmy noisily crashing through the front door after a night out! Or see him, anxiety-ridden with the workload from his apprenticeship!

What monsters we are to long to see him sick with worry about the first day of a new job! And isn't it cruel to wish to see him suffer with a hangover!

We make light of these things because to laugh and to smile is to cope.

The truth is, Jimmy would have tackled the trials and tribulations that came with turning 18, then 21, and finding his place in the World at the age he would now be, 26.

That is the way we like to remember Jimmy, through laughter and joy, of the blessing his time with us was.

On the anniversary of Jimmy's death, indeed today, we celebrate more than the love of our family. We celebrate the love we have found from the wider community, from the whole country.

Barry Mizen talks to Cressida Dick after the tenth anniversary memorial service for Jimmy Mizen
Image: Barry Mizen talks to Cressida Dick after the memorial service

We were determined that grief would not overwhelm. We made a promise to Jimmy to remain positive, to stay optimistic, to believe in hope.

We mourn and we are sad, because we are human, but together we celebrate what Jimmy's life now means to so many more people than he could have possibly imagined.

When we walked out of the courtroom on the last day of the trial for Jimmy's murder, we asked God for the strength to work in his name. We made a promise to each other not to go down the road of anger and bitterness.

Instead, our choice was to stop this happening to others and turn tragedy into something positive.

The For Jimmy charity believes in the value of young people's knowledge, of listening to their experiences and learning from their first-hand evidence.

Our faith has sustained us through difficult times. We aim to be leading examples of what it means to be resilient, hard-working and committed.

Just as our faith tells us we must spread the Christian message, For Jimmy has spread our message that we must show compassion, and that we must love one another.

We have taken seriously the church's teachings on the importance of forgiveness and want to show the world that love and forgiveness are the ways to approach the problems in our society.

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We have listened to the stories of those in pain, those who are struggling, those who have taken the wrong path but wish to start anew.

We have listened to the fears and problems of young people, and their hopes and their passions, and For Jimmy has worked tirelessly for ten years to find solutions that can help keep our young people safe and direct them towards love not hate.

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