The parents of a ten-day-old baby who died after a hospital trust failed to provide basic medical care have launched a youth centre to help struggling children. Kingsley Olasupo died from meningitis on April 18 2019, and a coroner ruled that he was neglected by Royal Bolton Hospital.
Heartbroken parents Tunde Olasupo and Nicola Daley had to wait more than three years for answers, but in the meantime they set about creating a place to support children and give them 'the opportunities that Kingsley will never have'. They offer counselling services for children struggling with bereavement, serve almost 300 free meals for local kids, and provide dance, sport and computing classes.
Tunde and Nicola have now announced an official opening ceremony for Believe Achieve C.I.C, in which a memorial plaque for baby Kingsley will be unveiled. Andy Burnham and Mayor of Bolton Akhtar Zaman will also be in attendance to cut the ribbon at the centre, which is based in the old Barclays bank building, in Market Street, Farnworth.
READ MORE : Tragedy of 'lovely' boy, 7, who died hours after being sent home from hospital
The event, on November 12, will include performances from the centre’s dance students and workshops from instructors specialising in dance, sport, mental health and well-being. There will also be hot food vendors available, a foodbank service, a range of fairground rides, and a firework display.
Tunde said: “When we started to set up the centre a couple of years ago our focus was on providing local children with the life Kingsley will never have. It was about creating a legacy for him by changing the lives of children who are struggling with issues such as poverty, low self-esteem or mental health problems. It’s a relaxed environment where they can achieve something positive and access the support they need.
“Since then it has grown massively and we can clearly see that there is an urgent need for our services. Nearly 700 young people attend the centre each week and we provide nearly 300 free meals.
"We know what we do works as we’ve seen some of the kids getting back into education or employment after dropping out and others saying their mental and physical health has improved and they feel a greater connection to the community. The official opening will showcase everything that we do and we would love to see the community as involved as possible."
The opening ceremony will take place between 12 noon and 7pm at Believe Achieve C.I.C, on Market Street, Farnworth.
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