Local politicians pay tribute to late Pedro Club founder James Cook MBE

The late James Cook MBE. Image: Hackney Council
Councillors have paid tribute to the “legendary” Pedro Club manager James Cook MBE following his passing earlier this month.
The renowned boxing champion and trainer, who ran the iconic youth club for more than two decades, died in hospital at the age of 66 following a bladder cancer diagnosis.
Born in 1959 in Jamaica, Cook entered the professional ring in 1982 and went on to win the British and European super-middleweight titles, and would later train young people in the sport at the Pedro Club.
Determined to get young people off the street, he took over as the Kings Park centre’s manager in 2003 and “fought long and hard to keep the club up and running”, said Cllr Ian Rathbone (Lea Bridge).
“He helped young people, particularly boys and young men, to find themselves and what they wanted from life, and to take the opportunities available,” Rathbone added.
In 2007, Cook was awarded an MBE for outstanding services to young people.
Kings Park councillors gave a joint statement paying tribute to the “tireless and selfless” Mr Cook, who would be “sorely missed”.
Speaking to the Citizen, Cllrs Lynne Troughton, Sharon Patrick and Ali Sadek said: “James took up the fight against crime on Clapton’s notorious ‘murder mile’.
“Working with the young men affected, he taught the discipline and ethics of ‘the good fight’ at the boxing club he ran for three decades.
“A legend in his own lifetime, James’s positive outlook was an inspiration to thousands who might otherwise have lost hope.”
They added that the retired boxer had in recent years worked closely with them and the Town Hall to secure the club’s legacy so it could serve his beloved community for decades to come.
“He also became a valued and active member of the Clapton Park Management Board, and a champion in and out of the ring.”
The councillors said they would continue to work with the youth club to build on Cook’s “extraordinary life’s work in the years ahead”.
Last week, the Town Hall paid tribute to Mr Cook, “a proud Hackney resident and inspirational leader who dedicated his life to supporting young people and our community”.
In a statement to the Citizen, club chairman Derek Williams said staff and members were “feeling the usual loss and pain of losing a friend or family”.
“James Cook was really the face of Pedro and responsible for all the work in making it such a recognised home for the community,” he said.
“He was such a unique and loved individual. He had time for everyone. We just do not know how he was able to give so much time towards charity and not burn out.”
Cook’s ‘nine night’, a Caribbean funeral tradition held nine days after a person’s death, took place on Sunday 15 June.
Williams and others told the Citizen the wake had seen “a thousand people” in attendance.
Tributes also poured in from Jamaica and the United States.
In November, Hackney’s finance chief announced that funding for the youth centre would continue, including £1.5m allocated for capital works.
At the time, Mayor Caroline Woodley said this showed the council was “still delivering things that will really change people’s lives” in the face of significant budget pressures.