A FAMILY fun day in memory of Olly Stephens has raised £19,000 for three charities.

Olly was tragically killed at the age of 13 on January 3, 2021, at Bugs Bottom, Reading, after he had been lured to the field by a 14-year-old girl and attacked by two boys, aged 13 and 14, the younger of whom was armed with a knife.

Considerable scrutiny was paid to the role played by social media and knife culture in the attack, with Olly’s parents, Amanda and Stuart, subsequently calling for more stringent regulation of social media companies.

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Now, Olly’s family have been working hard to help other young people spend less time on social media by picking up a new hobby, such as fishing.

So in memory of Olly, a fun day where young people could learn to fish and enjoy a BBQ, free of charge, took place at the Southlake Angling Society and the Waterside Pub in September.

There was also a raffle, a silent auction, a second-hand tackle stall and more.

The event raised £9,500 which is being doubled by the Big Give, a ‘generosity multiplier’ which helps people match donations.

This was the second year Olly’s family ran the event with the first of the annual event raising £6,600 last year -  which was also doubled.

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Speaking prior to the event, Amanda said: “The idea is to introduce the sport and to get them away from their Xbox and their phones and get into the fresh air with a new hobby.

“We were blind-sided by what was coming through social media with Olly and this secret world that children are living in.

“That they can be attacked 24/7 under your roof, to this day, still shocks us.”

The chosen charities this year are No.5 Young People, Parenting Special Children, and The Ben Kinsella Trust.

Amanda said: “No.5 Young People and Parenting Special Children are both Reading-based and helped us with Olly as he was diagnosed with autism when he started secondary school, and The Ben Kinsella Trust is an anti-knife crime charity.”

A cheque presentation took place at the Southlake Angling Society on Sunday, December 3 at 11am.

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Amanda added that the Southlake Angling Society had offered to help after Olly was taken as Stuart is a member and had taught Olly and his sister to fish.

This is one of the reasons the event is held at the society’s venue with a focus on fishing.