The sterling work of Millwall's Community Scheme has been recognised by City Hall, with Mayor of London Boris Johnson writing to congratulate the Scheme following the recent Anti-Gang and Knife Crime workshop for 200 young people held before our League One match with Exeter City.
The participants were then given free tickets to watch the game, where they were joined by Richard Taylor and Barry Mizen, the fathers of Damilola and Jimmy respectively who both tragically lost their lives to street violence.
Our Community Scheme has joined forces with a number of partners, including the Football Foundation, Southwark Council, Kickz, the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police, in running a programme entitled 'It doesn't have to happen', working with young people aged 12-18 on a weekly basis in seven centres throughout the borough of Southwark to target street violence.
And Mayor Johnson send the following to Richard White at the MCS:

Dear Mr White,
Thank you for your email in whcih you invited me to attend Millwall Community Scheme/Millwall Football Club's "It doesn't have to happen" event on Saturday 13 February. I very much appreciated the invitation.
This sounds like a fantastic initiative and I commend you for your work thus far. The importance of positive role models for our young people cannot be overstated and community projects such as those run by Millwall FC can make a real and lasting difference in the fight against youth crime.
I regret that, on this occasion, I was unable to attend the event due to diary commitments, and I understand from my office that they contacted you in advance to give my apologies.
I would, of course, be delighted to be kept informed of the progress of this excellent project and extend my full support to all involved.
Thank you once again for your kind invitation and for your efforts.
Yours sincerely,
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London