Building a Stephen Lawrence legacy

Diigo

WHEN Stephen Lawrence was seven, he already wanted to be an architect. Now, 13 years after he was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Eltham, disadvantaged kids are getting the chance to follow his dream for him. The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, set up in honour of the murdered 18-year-old, has started work on a £9.5million project to help youngsters get into the construction industry.

The Stephen Lawrence Centre, being built on the site of the former Thames Water Pump House in Brookmill Road, Deptford, will provide education for careers in architecture, urban design and construction.

The trust already awards bursaries to young people in Jamaica and South Africa who want to study in the UK.

Stephen's mum, Doreen Lawrence, said: "We are on the threshold of the next level of development - the Stephen Lawrence Centre. "This will be Stephen's legacy, a legacy of which my family and I can be proud."

Trust chief executive Karin Woodley said: "The trust was formed seven years ago and in the early stages it focused on the reasons why Stephen died and the inquiry into his death.

"But his family want to create something positive out of the horror."

The building, designed by black architect David Adjaya, is due to open in spring 2007.

Ms Woodley said the trust was also looking at ways to increase the aspirations of people from black and ethnic minority communities with schemes such as mentoring projects and getting architects and those in construction to talk to school groups.

She said: "The British construction industry cannot recruit the labour it needs but we have high unemployment in these groups - it doesn't make sense." The centre will include IT studios, creative art labs and business development suites. 

Diigo