A bench in memory of Olly Stephens will sit proudly as a permanent reminder to his friends and neighbours in the community.
The sofa bench carved by Steve Radford, serves as a poignant tribute to the teenager, who loved to sit in his games room and laugh with his friends on the xbox.
His father Stuart Stephens described how emotional and 'tearful' it was when the bench arrived in Bugs Bottom yesterday (April 6), the location where Olly tragically died.
He said: "The whole point is for his friends and anyone to come and sit and chat and remember Olly. Olly woudl always make time for his friends, he was beyond his years. He was loved by everyone and that's the saddest thing about it.
"People will see the bench and think why is that there. We want to talk about why it ocured, how it occured. A big part of his death is social media. So talk to one another instead of looking down on your phone."
Olly was killed after he was lured to a knife ambush in Emmer Green in January 2021.
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He was stabbed by a 14-year-old boy and him another boy, also 14, were convicted of murder following a trial in June and July 2021.
A girl, 14, admitted to manslaughter and recently had her prison sentence increased to five years.
During trial, the girl arranged for the two boys to ambush Olly at the playing fields using social media apps including Snapchat and Houseparty.
Olly's dad Stuart says social media plays a big part in his son's death, and is also calling for changes to the Online Harms Bill.
"He was groomed and buillied through his phone and ambushed, it was cold blooded. I remember in my time it was fistfights, now it teenagers using weapons. It's shocking," he said.
"At least now the bench is there in Olly's memoery. I think he would approve of it. His friends love it too and will always remember him because they're so wounded."
The bench is the families way of saying thank you to the community for their kind donations and well-wishes.
Stuart also thanked Olly's Nannie Christines Choir who raised £300 for the bench.
The family hope to use the money raised from the Just Giving page to tackle knifecrime, social media and its dangers for children and to support children with SEND.
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