Funeral of charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh to take place
In her will, Ms Batmanghelidjh said people should wear colour to the service.
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Your support makes all the difference.The funeral of Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh will take place on Saturday.
The Iranian-born social justice campaigner founded the charity in 1996 to support vulnerable children and young people in London and Bristol.
Ms Batmanghelidjh’s family said she died peacefully in her sleep aged 61, after a period of “failing health”, describing her as an “endless source of inspiration” who “dedicated her life to advocating for Britain’s most vulnerable children”.
The funeral service will take place at 10am at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, with a service also held at the same time at Oasis Church Waterloo, with a livestream from the funeral.
The wake will be held at Oasis Church Waterloo beginning at 12:30pm.
For those unable to travel to London, the funeral service will also be livestreamed online, her family said.
Mourners have been urged to wear colour to the services.
As Ms Batmanghelidjh – who famously wore brightly coloured clothing – wrote in her will, “Under no condition should anyone wear black, colour is the order of the day!”
Her charity attracted several celebrity backers including former prime minister David Cameron, Coldplay, artist Damien Hirst and comedian Michael McIntyre – and Ms Batmanghelidjh was made a CBE for her work.
But it was wound up in 2015 after police launched an investigation, which was dropped seven months later, into unfounded allegations of abuse and exploitation, following the broadcast of a BBC Newsnight report.
In 2021, a bid to ban Ms Batmanghelidjh and seven ex-trustees from being company directors was rejected by a High Court judge, who commended her “enormous dedication” to young people.
In an obituary on her website, her family said: “Until her death, she continued to work with vulnerable children, who called her or visited her to discuss their traumas, their insecurities, and their challenges.
“Camila wanted to honour these children with the care and protection they deserved.”