Reformed gang leader inspires teens at Ashton Gate

With an hour to go before kick-off at Ashton Gate, a crucial pep talk is taking place deep inside the stadium.

It's not Bristol City manager Lee Johnson firing up his players before a crucial game with Nottingham Forest, but a workshop aimed at keeping young people from being drawn into gangs.

A partnership between the local police, the Somali community and the football club, the gang prevention scheme aims to reach young people before they are groomed into a life of crime.

Divine Ampofo, a former drug dealer from London, shared his story with the group.

Having moved to the UK from Ghana, he told the assembled teenagers that being bullied because of his race and also his family's poverty led to him joining a gang to get an income.

He rose through the ranks to eventually run the drug operation on his own estate in Waltham Forest, becoming wealthy but also forced to be involved in extreme violence.

He left the drug trade behind and now tries to help others do the same.

Full Article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-50574428