Elianne Andam death: Thousands gather at vigil to remember 15-year-old

The family asked people to light candles as Elianne was the "light of their lives"

Thousands of people have gathered in south London to remember a teenage girl who was fatally stabbed one week ago.

Elianne Andam, 15, was attacked at a bus stop on Wellesley Road in central Croydon last Wednesday morning as she made her way to school.

A 17-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with her murder.

At the vigil, Elianne's family asked people to wear white and light candles to represent her being the light of their lives.

Elianne's mother, Dorcas Andam, paid tribute to her "smart, charismatic" daughter, who "loved living life to the fullest".

"She brought joy to so many, including her friendship group," she said.

"She was an amazing, beautiful, girl. "She loved and touched lives around her."

Elianne was described by her family as "the light of our lives"

She added: "I can't believe we won't be seeing her anymore. I can't believe she won't be there to complain about her teenage activities.

"We should be planning her prom after year 11. She wanted to be a lawyer, and had so much to live for."

She said her daughter was "just a normal teenager" and that it was a "sad day for the whole family, now we are planning her funeral".

Thousands of people attended the vigil

Rapper Stormzy, real name Michael Omari Owuo Jr, stood silently beside her family as they led mourners in prayer.

One attendee described Elianne as "cute, funny, and very loving and caring" and said she was there to "show my support for the family, to be there with them in this tragic moment".

Another woman said: "It's a shock, I've never seen anything like this in all of the years that I've worked over there. It's really sad that in 2023 we have to be facing things like this."

Flowers, cards and messages have been building up at the scene where she died all week

The vigil saw a two-minute silence held as people raised their candles, while prayers were said. The crowd joined in and sang Amazing Grace.

Elianne has been called a "beautiful young lady" who wanted to be a lawyer and whose Christian faith was very important to her.

Rapper Stormzy was also in attendance

Speeches about knife crime were also a part of the vigil. After speaker Anthony King said "enough is enough", the crowd responded with a shout of "yes".

Another speaker said they did not want Elianne to be another statistic, and that they could stop knife crime together.

The Bishop of Croydon, Marlene Rosemarie Mallett, told the crowd: "Many of you are ordinary residents of Croydon but you have been touched by this tragedy."

Sixteen young people from London have been victims of homicide so far this year

James Watkins, who works with local young people as part of the Mainzworld project, spoke to Elianne's family ahead of the vigil.

He said the family told him they wanted her to be remembered as "someone that was loved, someone that was cared about and someone that made an impact to everyone that she came into contact with".

"It's not a surprise to anybody that a lot of people are in fear right now," he added.

• 'It's going to take a lot to heal from this tragedy'

• Elianne Andam's death 'triggers flashbacks'

So far this year, 16 teenagers from London have lost their lives to homicide.

"I think part of it is us talking to parents and saying to them to discuss things with their children, have a conversation with their children," said Mr Watkins.

"And it's also about parents being aware of organisations that can help them when they don't feel like they have the assistance that they need."

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