Brenda Edwards has announced the foundation of the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust following her son’s tragic death last month.
Entrepreneur, author and SBTV founder Edwards died suddenly in February aged 31 following a suspected heart attack.
His heartbroken mother, Loose Women panelist Brenda, has now announced a charity foundation in his name ‘to support those causes that mattered most to Jamal’.
A statement from mum Brenda, younger sister Tanisha and the extended Edwards family said the money raised will be used to combat homelessness, support people with mental health issues and provide young people with ‘essential life skills’.
The family were inspired to set up the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust in his name ‘to honour his memory and continue his legacy’, the statement reads.
They added: ‘Jamal lived his life staying true to himself, providing a platform for all to showcase what made them special whilst encouraging all to believe in themselves to achieve their full potential.’
For the past 10 years, Edwards had spent Christmas Day helping at homeless shelters, and the charity now aims to set up ‘a network of Self Belief Houses’ to help those struggling with homelessness, with mental health and self-help programmes available.
The foundation organisers also hope to open a ‘Self Belief Academy,’ which it says ‘will continue the mission started by Jamal of hosting specialised programmes aimed at helping young people from underprivileged backgrounds prepare themselves for adult life.’
Brenda, Tanisha and the other organisers of the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust said they were ‘profoundly appreciative’ of any donations, and said they hoped to ‘do Jamal proud’.
Mum Brenda has been left devastated by the loss of her only son, and on Sunday paid tribute to Edwards as she faced her first Mother’s Day without him.
Taking to Instagram, the TV personality shared nine pictures of her son and daughter from throughout the years, with one sweet snap showing Edwards as a young boy with a baby Tanisha on his lap.
Another saw Brenda as a young mother with her arms wrapped around her two children.
She captioned the post: ‘Always and Forever. 💙’
The news of Edwards’ death sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment world in February, with the popular entrepreneur helping to launch the careers of some of the UK’s biggest artists.
Mum Brenda confirmed the devastating news at the time with a statement to Good Morning Britain, where she said: ‘It is with the deepest heartache that I can confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness.
‘Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the centre of our world.’
Edwards gained fame from setting up music platform SBTV, which helped to launch a string of UK music careers including Dave and Jessie J.
He was an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a charity headed by the Prince of Wales, and in 2014 he was awarded an MBE for his services to music.
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MORE : Brenda Edwards shares beautiful family pictures of late son Jamal Edwards on Mother’s Day
