A Sheffield charity has been praised by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson for their out-
standing community work on youth crime education.
Mums United is a charity led by mothers tackling youth violence and child drug exploitation. It provides workshops to raise awareness about the dangers of gangs and street crime, and in particular, the risks of carrying knives.
It was awarded ‘Points of Light’ by Boris Johnson this week. The award congratulates
exceptional UK volunteers who made a change in their community.
The Chair of Mums United, Sahira Irshad, 42, said: “We are shocked, surprised and very
overwhelmed. As mothers we strive to do the best we can to create positive pathways for the vulnerable and this award really does lift our morale as the whole team have been working tirelessly to juggle the two different elements of our organisation.
“On the one hand we have been working hard to ensure programmes are delivered at
our community based clubs and on the other hand we have been ensuring the dona- tions received for the Afghan families are sorted, packed and distributed.
“Thank you so much for the acknowledgment!”
In the Government letter to the Chair of Mums United, the Prime Minister said: “There is
no greater role model than a parent and so it is wonderful that local mums have come together in Sheffield to keep children safe.
“Mums United provides a vital safe space for young people where they can learn about knife and gun prevention and start to make positive changes in their lives.
“The families you are helping will never forget the welcome you have shown to them. You are a true Point of Light in your community and so I am delighted to recognise you as the UK’s 1749th Point of Light.”
The certificate signed by the Prime Minister to Sahira Irshad
Mums United also run ‘Mums Charitable Bank’ to provide food, toys and clothing to vulnerable families, including newly arrived Afghan families.
Ms Irshad said: “We are a beautiful fiery team of mothers who work relentlessly for our young people.
“Through the Mums United Charitable Bank, we have seen so much trauma, poverty, helplessness from all sectors of the community. This acknowledgement is welcomed but more work needs to be done by this current government.
“For now, I will just say thank you to our fellow trustees and all the mums and young
people that have helped at the Mums United Sheffield Youth Club and Charitable Bank.”
On the Mums United website, a testimonial of the charity read: “Mums United are a truly
remarkable group of women from diverse life experiences, race, ethnicity and faith, joining together to tackle some really difficult issues for the sake of the children and young people of Sheffield.”
The charity have been also campaigning for many years to help knife crime victims bring the Knife Angel, a sculpture built with around 100,000 seized knives, to Sheffield.
Chair of Mums United Sahira Irshad visiting knife angel in Chesterfield (Source: Sahira Irshad’s Facebook page)
They have also thrown their weight behind Sheff Line’s Sheffield Knife Angel campaign.
They said: “The fact that those young people have lost their lives at an early age is a
tragedy, and that’s what motivates us to keep on moving.”
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