Nabil was 16 and about to write his GCSEs when a 3am knock on the door changed everything. It was the police calling to say that his older brother Abdullah, 23, had been stabbed in the neck and killed.
Suddenly Nabil was thrust into the role of head of the family. His single mother, an asylum seeker from Algeria, could barely speak English and had no job, and Nabil, known in the family as “the clever one”, had four younger siblings who needed his support.
“It was a hectic time, the family was utterly broken,” says Nabil, now 25. “Abdullah had been the man of the house and I knew I had to step up. I had to pass my GCSEs, immediately find a job and help my family grieve, but I was only 16. My older brother was amazing but he had also been in trouble with the police, and I could easily have looked up to him in the wrong way.”
In that moment of need, there was only one place Nabil knew he could turn for support — Carney’s Community. Situated near Battersea Park in Wandsworth, Nabil had first been introduced to the boxing charity at the age of 12 when his brother took him there to “release some stress” after he had been picked on by a local gang. Nabil wasn’t sporty and he suffered low confidence and a stutter, but at Carney’s he got into amateur boxing and met mentors he looked up to.
Four years later, with his brother passed on, and feeling angry, burdened and confused, he turned to Carney’s again. They helped Nabil’s family move to a safer estate by advocating for them with the council, provided one-to-one mentoring to help manage his feelings, gave him a place to train and helped him find work.
Today, Nabil has a computer science degree and a high-flying job as a software engineer for an international technology consultancy, whilst also volunteering as a boxing coach for Carney’s. “I cannot imagine where I’d be without them,” he says. “At the lowest point in my life, they gave me what I needed to survive and thrive.”
Carney’s Community is one of five charities we have backed as part of our £500,000 Sporting Chance campaign, which champions sports coaching and mentoring to transform the lives of disadvantaged young Londoners. Alongside Bloomsbury Football Foundation, Fight for Peace and Laburnum Boat Club, it has received a £62,500 grant from the Standard’s Dispossessed Fund, which is administered by The London Community Foundation. A further £250,000 from the Dispossessed Fund has been pledged to fund school sports programmes in London delivered by our campaign partner, Greenhouse Sports.
Campaign in a nutshell
The Standard has joined forces with Greenhouse Sports to deliver sports coaching and mentoring to young people in secondary schools across some of London’s most deprived boroughs. So far, £500,000 has been raised, with £250,000 going to Greenhouse Sports programmes in London and £250,000 to four other youth charities across the capital, including Carney’s Community. We are calling on corporations, foundations, philanthropists — and our readers — to donate. All funds raised will go to Greenhouse Sports programmes in London.
George Turner, co-founder and CEO of Carney’s Community, says: “People often ask me: how do you get young people out of a gang? My answer: get them into another gang — but a positive one. That’s what Carney’s offers. More than 40 per cent of the young people we help have experience of the criminal justice system or school exclusions. The number one lesson they learn from boxing is that aggression is fine, as long as you’re in control of it. They also learn the importance of discipline and timekeeping. That’s a big one. If you turn up late for a job interview, you aren’t getting the job.”
One of Carney’s alumni is the current WBO World Middleweight Boxing Champion Denzel Bentley, 31, who has come down to the gym — championship belt in hand — to back to our campaign. The local boy from a Battersea estate won the vacant title in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at the O2 Arena in April.
“I was helped by Carney’s and now I’m one of their ambassadors,” he says. “Carney’s is a hub for hard-to-reach young people and I was once one of those, so I know the difference groups like Carney’s make. That’s why I am supporting The Standard’s campaign. We need more places like this. George has a heart of gold and has dedicated his life to support young people who need it most. He’s a hero in this community. Without him, a lot of kids would have gone the wrong way.”
Carney’s in numbers
934 People supported a year
47% At risk due to adverse childhood experiences, school exclusion or criminal record
26% Female participants
Cyprian, now 21, is a case in point. As an 11-year-old, he was spending most of his time on the streets and he started going to Carney’s as much for the free meals as to train and meet new friends. At 13, Cyprian was placed into care and moved to a distant part of London. But at 17, when the placement broke down and he was at risk of turning to crime, he sought refuge at Carney’s.
“At a very vulnerable moment in my life, when I was getting into bad stuff, had been kicked out of several schools and did not want to listen, Carney’s refused to give up on me,” he says. “They helped me get my first job at Feel Good Bakery and my current job at Diversity Media, where I sell advertising on behalf of major brands.”
How your money could help Greenhouse Sports
£15 Could enable a young person to access their programme for a week
£65 Could provide 4 weeks of sports coaching and mentoring, helping a young person build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging
£165 Could provide coaching and mentoring during school holidays
£800 Could provide a full year of coaching and mentoring, ensuring they stay engaged with school and develop the life skills to fulfil their potential
Through Carney’s, he’s also been exposed to special opportunities, like paid work experience attending Wimbledon Tennis — and, thrillingly, going onto centre court to do the coin toss between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the 2024 final.
He adds: “I used to be regarded as ‘challenging’ by Wandsworth Council but now I am one of their formal ambassadors. For kids in care who’ve had trouble with the police, I’m seen as a role model for turning my life around. It all comes back to Carney’s — wherever you come from, and even if you mess up, they will help you.”
Join the conversation online: #SportingChance
