'Children need a place to be themselves' mum of murdered Sheffield teen says as she fights for 'Harvey's Hub'
A mother who has spent the past year campaigning against knife crime after the tragic loss of her teenage son in a violent attack at school hopes to create a youth club in his honour.
‘Harvey’s Hub’, a youth club giving children a space to be themselves, was an idea first mooted last year by the parents of Harvey Willgoose as they work to ensure no family goes through the trauma they had to experience.
When he was only 15 years old, Harvey was fatally stabbed during his lunch break at All Saints School by fellow pupil Mohammed Umar Khan, prompting an ongoing crusade by his family to tackle knife crime.
While Umar was ultimately sentenced to a minimum of 16 years behind bars after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in October, 2025, they fear that this case is not an isolated one as knife crime continues to plague communities.
In the year since Harvey’s death, the family has supplied bleed kits to schools, while mum Caroline recently visited a school in Birmingham to discuss the destructive effects of carrying a knife.
“Children really engaged with what I was saying because I was doing it more on [Umar’s] side,” Caroline told The Star.
“The only time he showed any emotion [in the trial] was when they mentioned his family - that seemed to stick in their mind because they kept bringing it up, how he was feeling and how he’s ruined his life with that one split second decision.
“He’s ruined his life, his parents’ life and obviously our life - Harvey’s life.”
“There are no winners in knife crime.”
The school also showed Caroline their lockdown procedures and how children’s bags are checked in the morning with a kind of metal detector wand, as she pushes to get knife arches in every school.
And while she hopes to visit more schools in future to host similar conversations, a major focus for the courageous campaigner is bringing Harvey’s Hub to life more permanently.
They have already hosted a number of activities and are preparing to run an Easter party in the next few weeks, however Caroline wants to acquire a permanent base and open it up as a regular youth club.
“We’ve got quite a lot of funding now so we’re ready to go, it’s just finding a venue,” she added.
She listed Waleswood Cricket Club as an ideal spot, saying it’s where Harvey ‘grew up’, but is open to different ideas and continues working with MPs to find a location.
Over the past few months friends and family have taken part in a variety of fundraising efforts, with Caroline’s brother Simon now preparing to take on the Sheffield Half Marathon on Sunday, March 29.
He’s already raised more than £4,500 for his efforts, well over the original £1,000 target.
Fundamental to Caroline’s vision is the idea the children have ‘somewhere to be themselves’, as she argues that youngsters have lost their voice and lack socialisation after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I don’t think people listen to children - I don’t think they’ve got a voice anymore,” she continued.
“People are saying they should take away their social media but I don’t really agree with that.
“When I was a kid I was addicted to this chatline - you called and they put you in a room with all these other kids.
“There was an operator in the room listening to you and if you gave your address or started bullying they’d kick you out.
“All those years ago there was something in place but it was keeping you safe so why don’t we have that now.
“Kids need somewhere to be themselves - they need a place to watch telly together, play their music or have a game of pool and just be themselves.”