Carnival 'partners with Idris Elba' on knife crime

Idris Elba has become a campaigner against knife crime

The chief executive of the Notting Hill Carnival has said the event will work with a charity set up by actor Idris Elba to combat knife crime in London.

Matthew Phillip defended the two-day event as "one of the few creative and cultural outlets left for our youth" after it was marred by violence in recent years.

But he said "we can't ignore the impact of knife crime on our event" as he pledged to work alongside the Elba Hope Foundation and its campaign Don't Stop Your Future (DSYF).

The Notting Hill Carnival will go ahead over the August Bank Holiday after it secured nearly £1m of extra funding to enhance crowd safety.

'Better choices'

Speaking at an event launching Carnival 2025, Mr Phillip said: "The tragic deaths of Takayo Nembhard and Cher Maximen broke the hearts of their friends and families as well as our communities and, three years on, the family and friends of Takayo still don't have justice.

"These young people didn't lose their lives because of Carnival; Carnival is not the cause of this crisis, but it can be part of the solution.

"In that spirit, Carnival aligns perfectly with the principles of DSYF.

"Their ongoing work to help disenfranchised young people to make better choices is a productive and sustainable action to a very complex and, ultimately, sad problem."

He added: "They show that there is choice, and we are working with them to amplify this message that we hope will let people know there are other options.

"The Elba Hope Foundation is about creating real pathways for young people, to build confidence, develop skills and find belonging."

Cher Maximen was killed at the Notting Hill Carnival last year

Mr Phillip also urged people not to scapegoat the event, which has faced criticism in recent years for not tackling violent crime.

Cher Maximen was stabbed to death in front of her three-year-old daughter at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2024.

Ms Maximen, 32, was killed with a zombie knife when a fight between a group of men broke out next to her. She died six days later in hospital.

In May Shakeil Thibou, 20, was found guilty of her murder and ordered to serve a minimum term of 29 years.

Takayo Nembhard was stabbed to death at Carnival the age of 21 in 2022.

Father-to-be Takayo, from Bristol, was attacked in Ladbroke Grove.

Five people have been arrested since his death, but no-one has been charged.

Takayo Nembhard was attacked in Ladbroke Grove, at about 20:00 BST on 29 August 2022

Notting Hill Carnival, billed as Europe's largest cultural event and the second biggest carnival in the world, will be held in and around Notting Hill in west London on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August.

The organisers said: "From the debut of the Junior Panorama on the Carnival weekend to the return of the beloved J'ouvert, 2025 brings new energy while honouring time-honoured traditions."

The carnival attracts more than a million people to Notting Hill

At 3pm on both days of Notting Hill Carnival, attendees will be asked to join in a 72-second silence to remember the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire.

Carnival organisers said this moment of reflection "will also honour the memories of Takayo Nembhard and Cher Maximen and honour Kelso Cochrane, a young Antiguan man murdered in a racially motivated attack in Notting Hill in 1959".

They added: "His death became a powerful symbol of racial injustice in Britain and galvanised local communities to stand together against hate.

"As well as being one of the reasons that Carnival was started, Kelso's memory is an enduring reminder of why spaces like Carnival — born from resistance, resilience, and unity — are so vital."