Dozens of teenagers dressed in colourful wigs, big sunglasses and T-shirts with anti-knife slogans as they attended the funeral of Ben Kinsella - as they celebrated the life of the 16-year-old, who died after being stabbed in north London during a night out on June 29.
More than 1,000 people packed St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic church in Islington, north London, for the service. They included former EastEnders cast members Michelle Ryan, Gillian Taylforth and James Alexandrou, current stars of the soap Charlie G Hawkins and Joe Swash, and the Birds Of A Feather actor Linda Robson, whose 16-year-old son, Louis, was with Kinsella as he died.
Before the service, his sister, Brooke Kinsella, the former EastEnders actor, pleaded for others to learn from his death and to lay down their weapons. The 24-year-old said: "Enough is enough. Do something now to make sure your brother, sister, son, or best friend's life doesn't end the same awful way.
"The problem is far worse than imagined. It's why we have to act so quickly. We have to inform youngsters and parents of the brutal truth and work hard, right now, to get rid of this menace."
A poem was written shortly before his death it read: "So what comes next for me? God knows. I don't. This is my home now and I've never felt better. I'm not scared any more. There's no weight on my shoulders, no struggle. Let's just see what a future here brings. But at the moment, this is living. Not death."
Kinsella was stabbed several times in York Way, Islington, after a fight in a bar spilled out on to the streets.
Three teenagers have been charged with his murder. Juress Kika, 18, Michael Alleyne, 18, and Jade Braithwaite, 19, have been remanded in custody until October 13.
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