Tom Ogg described Kemar as his "favourite" pupil.

A group of teachers who taught a Tottenham man stabbed to death last month have started a campaign to raise £7000 to fund a funeral for his family and friends.

Kemar Duhaney, 21, of Bruce Grove, was stabbed in the heart during an alleged dispute with another man over a girl outside a house in Hackney on July 11.

Paramedics performed open heart surgery on Kemar at the scene but he died later the same day.

Now teachers from a youth project attended by Kemar as a teenager have rallied together to assist his mother Diana, who is unable to afford the £7000 required to hold a funeral for her son.

The group have set up a fundraising website urging donations towards the funeral costs and have so far raised over £3000.

Tom Ogg, 27, who mentored Kemar during his time at the London Boxing Academy Community Project (LBACP), told the Journal: “Kemar, for all of us at the academy, was our favourite.

“Recently I was trying to get him a job because he was so positive, warm and friendly. He deserved a break in life because it had never been easy for him.”

It is believed Kemar, an only child, arrived in the UK from Jamaica aged around 13 with very little reading or writing ability.

He was introduced to LBACP through Haringey’s Pupil Referral Unit, where youth workers and teachers, such as Mr Ogg, helped him improve his literacy and introduced him to boxing, which he took a keen interest in.

After graduating from the project at the age of 17, Kemar stayed in touch with Mr Ogg who continued to mentor him.

Mr Ogg said: “He was so obviously deserving of our help so that’s why I kept in touch with him because I wanted to help him.

“Kemar had always wanted to run a restaurant so the jobs we were trying to get him were in kitchens of restaurants - there was one in Stratford that we got him a trial in.”

Kemar’s funeral is likely to take place in Tottenham next month and Mr Ogg is hopeful the £7000 target will be reached in time.

He said: “We have already been astonished by the generosity, it’s been quite touching.

“Kemar was such a positive, life-loving person so it’s very difficult to think of him no longer being with us and he’s missed a great deal by everyone.

“The funeral will definitely be well-attended - he was very popular and the community of Tottenham will want to be there.”

If you wish to donate to Kemar’s funeral fund, visit www.gofundme.com/helpkemar.

- Police have charged Jamaican-born Damien Douglas, 23, of Ballance Road, Hackney, with murder. He will appear at the Old Bailey on October 12.