My partner, Mikey John, who has died aged 66 of complications due to heart failure, was a reggae DJ, an adventure playground leader and a pillar of the Ladbroke Grove community in west London for decades.
Mikey worked at Acklam adventure playground and the Venture Centre playground in Ladbroke Grove from the mid-1970s. Many have spoken of the impact he had on them as young people – by encouraging them to channel their energies in productive and positive ways. At a time when Black men were routinely beaten up by the police, Acklam became a vital place of refuge. Around this time, Mikey’s passion for collecting reggae records began and, as DJ Cuppa Tea, he played at numerous community gatherings.
In the mid-90s, Mikey trained as a specialist decorator and refurbished computers, which was also a passion. He was playing music until he had a stroke in 2006. Although his DJing days were curtailed, he would create CDs and playlists, which he shared widely. His knowledge of reggae music and the roots and routes of all genres of Black music was profound. He was elected as chair of a local African-Caribbean group, One Voice, from 2012 to 2014.
Mikey was born in Grenada, to Veronica “Vero” (nee Andrews) and her husband, Alston John. His father moved to the UK in the early 60s and his mother joined him in 1965 with Mikey’s sister, Yvette, leaving Mikey with his maternal grandparents in Grenada until 1966, when he was reunited with his immediate family in London. His parents separated two years later and his father returned to Grenada.
Mikey went to Bevington primary school, where, having been a tough little fighter “back home”, his boxing skills served him well in the hostile environment in the playground. Later, on the streets of W10, Mikey was stabbed in a racist attack that nearly proved fatal. To add to the trials of his early life, in 1973, when Mikey was 15 years old, his mother died of an embolism on a holiday flight back to Grenada. Vero’s four children effectively had to fend for themselves.
In later life, Mikey was one of the first and longest-standing residents of the Lancaster West estate, of which Grenfell Tower was a part, in north Kensington. His flat was on one of the walkways adjoining Grenfell Tower and he was forced to evacuate from his home during the fire in 2017. He provided powerful witness testimony as a core participant in the Grenfell public inquiry into the fire, in which he highlighted the many failings of the council both before and in response to the fire. Mikey always spoke up for truth and justice.
Mikey is survived by our son, Nile, another son, Ray, from a previous relationship, and a sister and two brothers. A daughter, Carmelita, who was Ray’s twin, died in 2006.
