Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh dies aged 61

Iranian-Belgian social justice campaigner was forced to step down from Kids Company in 2015

Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founder of Kids Company charity, has died aged 61.

The Iranian-born social justice campaigner, founded Kids Company in 1996 to support vulnerable children and young people in London and Bristol.

She died on Monday - her 61st birthday - after suffering from an illness for some time.

She is said to have spent her last Christmas wrapping presents for vulnerable children.

A family statement shared with the Guardian newspaper said she died “peacefully in her sleep” on the night of January 1 after celebrating her birthday with her loved ones.

It described her as an “endless source of inspiration” who “dedicated her life to advocating for Britain’s most vulnerable children”.

Camila Batmanghelidjh , the founder of Kids Company charity , has died aged 61 (PA)

The statement said: “For all those around her, and especially for her family, she was endless source of inspiration, a fountain of wit, and a kaleidoscope of colour.”

Ms Batmanghelidjh was born into a wealthy family in Iran and moved to England when she was aged 12. She gained a first-class degree from Warwick University.

She founded her company in 1996 after training as a psychotherapist.

The Iranian-born social justice campaigner, founded Kids Company in 1996 (PA)

Ms Batmanghelidjh stepped down from her charity in 2015 after following allegations of mismanagement. However, she was cleared of wrongdoing by a High Court 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 broadcast of a BBC Newsnight report.

Prior to the investigation, the charity attracted a number of celebrity backers including former prime minister David Cameron, Coldplay, artist Damien Hirst and comedian Michael McIntyre - and Ms Batmanghelidjh was made a CBE for her work.

In 2021, a bid to ban Ms Batmanghelidjh and seven ex-trustees from being company directors was rejected by a High Court judge.

In 2022, the Charity Commission later published a report concluding that the charity had been mismanaged, claiming it operated a “high risk business model”.

Later that year, Ms Batmanghelidjh won a High Court bid to pursue a judicial review of the report.