Prince William visits memorial dedicated to 15-year-old shot dead by gang

The Prince of Wales visited a Manchester memorial on Thursday dedicated to a 15-year-old killed in a gangland shooting, as he launches a three-year initiative to tackle youth violence in the city.

The Prince visited Jessie’s Wall in Moss Side, which is dedicated to Jessie James, who was fatally shot in a park in 2006.

He announced a £100,000 scheme, funded jointly by the Royal Foundation and Andy Burnham, Manchester’s Mayor, which will focus on disadvantaged young people.

The initiative forms part of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s push to create “legacy and impact” in the areas they visit.

On the evening of Sept 8 2006, Jessie James left home to cycle with a group of friends to a party at the West Indian Centre.

They tried to get in but were turned away by the doormen and so instead bought fizzy drinks before cycling into Broadfield Park, known locally as Rec Park, which at the time was considered the turf of a gang called the Doddington gang.

Unknown to the boys, one or two gunmen were hiding in the bushes and they opened fire.

Jessie was shot four times in the chest and abdomen.

Terrified, the boys ran, unaware he had been hit. After repeatedly calling his phone, they eventually saw his mobile light up in the darkness in the park and returned to find his body.

By the time they called 999, at 2.38am on Sept 9, Jessie was already dead.

The perpetrator has never been caught and it became one of the highest profile unsolved murders in Manchester’s criminal history.

The tribute was originally created by Jessie’s friends soon after his death but extensive work has been carried out in consultation with the community in recent years to restore it.

The Prince’s visit aims to shine a light on work being carried out in the area to support communities and improve outcomes for disadvantaged young people.

He went to a youth hub and a community food bank, where he helped cook some meals, and heard about how vulnerable young people are being supported, as well as speaking to young people affected by youth violence.

He was invited to the Keeping It Real 24/7 food bank at a Buckingham Palace garden party earlier this year by the charity founder Wendy Simms.

Ms Simms set up the food bank in 2019 to provide food and hot meals for those in need, with a particular focus on being able to supply culturally important foods such as yams, breadfruit and sugar cane, as part of the Rastafarian community in Moss Side, Manchester.

The new initiative will be used to expand the Manchester Peace Together Alliance, which works with young people aged 10 to 25, to create new opportunities for those at risk of youth violence.

It marks the first time that the private sector has worked with the alliance, which will create a dedicated employment, skills and training programme for young people at risk of violence.

The programme will run for an initial period of three years, with the aim to scale it across the Greater Manchester area in the future.

Youth violence is an issue that the Prince has long supported and campaigned on, particularly gang violence in the UK.

He once wrote in The Telegraph about how the country needed to learn “how to turn gang members into team members”.

Mr Burnham said: “We know that working with partners and communities to provide opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity is the most effective way to ensure young people do not get involved with crime or violence.

“We’re committed to doing all we can to stop crime and violence and the development of a dedicated employment, skills, and training programme for young people at risk of violence … I’m delighted to be working with the Prince of Wales in this effort to support our young people into a brighter future.”

The Royal Foundation and the Mayor have each committed £50,000 towards the initiative to help create substantial, long-term change for young people in the city.

Last week, the Prince said he intends to go “a step further” than his family have previously done by bringing change instead of just raising awareness about good causes.

The Manchester Community Impact project initiative followed one in Scarborough last year, where £345,000 was raised and used to galvanise long-term support for young people’s mental health in the town.

The second one was a collaboration with the social enterprise Life at No 27 in February to help scale up its mission to create therapy allotments and gardens that will provide mental health support for communities across South Wales.

Amanda Berry, chief executive of the Royal Foundation, said: “Just as with other societal challenges, tackling youth violence will require a collective, whole-of-society effort.

“Our shared aim is to convene a coalition of sector leaders to work in partnership with us and the charity partners to support the alliance, not only to sustain its work over the long-term but also to further scale its impact.”