Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh dies aged 61

Get the free Morning Headlines e-mail for information from our reporters the world over

Signal as much as our free Morning Headlines e-mail

Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founding father of Children Firm charity, has died aged 61.

The Iranian-born social justice campaigner, based Children Firm in 1996 to assist susceptible kids and younger folks in London and Bristol.

She died on Monday – her 61st birthday – after affected by an sickness for a while.

She is alleged to have spent her final Christmas wrapping presents for susceptible kids.

A household assertion shared with the Guardian newspaper mentioned she died “peacefully in her sleep” on the night time of January 1 after celebrating her birthday along with her family members.

It described her as an “infinite supply of inspiration” who “devoted her life to advocating for Britain’s most susceptible kids”.

The assertion mentioned: “For all these round her, and particularly for her household, she was infinite supply of inspiration, a fountain of wit, and a kaleidoscope of color.”

Ms Batmanghelidjh was born right into a rich household in Iran and moved to England when she was aged 12. She gained a first-class diploma from Warwick College.

She based her firm in 1996 after coaching as a psychotherapist.

Ms Batmanghelidjh stepped down from her charity in 2015 after following allegations of mismanagement. Nonetheless, she was cleared of wrongdoing by a Excessive Courtroom in 2015.

The charity was imbued in scandal in 2015 after police launched an investigation, which was dropped seven months later, into unfounded allegations of abuse and exploitation, following the published of a BBC Newsnight report.

Previous to the investigation, the charity attracted numerous movie star backers together with former prime minister David Cameron, Coldplay, artist Damien Hirst and comic Michael McIntyre – and Ms Batmanghelidjh was made a CBE for her work.

In 2021, a bid to ban Ms Batmanghelidjh and 7 ex-trustees from being firm administrators was rejected by a Excessive Courtroom decide.

In 2022, the Charity Fee later printed a report concluding that the charity had been mismanaged, claiming it operated a “excessive danger enterprise mannequin”.

Later that 12 months, Ms Batmanghelidjh gained a Excessive Courtroom bid to pursue a judicial assessment of the report.