Brother of murdered British aid worker shares his message of hope with four schools in Luton

Mike Haines has given talks to Ashcroft High School, Chiltern Academy, Al Hikmah Girls School and Barnfield College as part of his national tour to tackle extremism.

In 2014, graphic footage was released of the execution of Mike's brother, aid worker David Haines.

David had been working for an NGO, assisting Syrian refugees when he was captured by Daesh terrorists and murdered after 18 months of captivity and in an attempt to spread discord and violence, footage was released to the world.

Now, Mike is undertaking a tour to share his personal journey and spread a message of unity, tolerance and understanding.

He established the Global Acts of Unity campaign and has also been awarded an OBE for his cohesion work.

Mike said: “The devastating loss of my brother had a life-changing impact on my family. We continue to feel his loss every day.

"It has not been an easy path to take to channel that pain into a powerful, positive force for good. But it has been the right one.

Talking to students in Luton, Mike feels he has helped ensure that people know how to stand up to hatred.

"By standing together, with acceptance and understanding, we will defeat those who seek to divide us," he said.

The pandemic has not made it easy to connect with young people, but I am thankful for the virtual world as I am able to still spread my message via zoom to students.”

Students at Ashcroft High School said: “It was so sad, but I liked how he said that instead of fearing certain religions we should embrace them and not have stereotypes.”