"I don't want another parent to go through the pain I have": The heartbroken people facing up to the reality of knife attacks

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Losing a child to knife crime is every parent's worst nightmare. But for Kelly Brown, it is the reality she lives with every day since her 16 year-old son Rhamero West was fatally stabbed last year.

And she isn't alone. Three fatal stabbings of young men in Greater Manchester within the first two months of 2022 alone have left bereaved parents, siblings, friends and communities, struggling to grapple with the problem of knife crime.

There is no simple solution - but mayor Andy Burnham, alongside partners at Greater Manchester Police (GMP), local charities and community organisations, and those who have been impacted by knife crime such as Kelly, are working together to tackle the issue and prevent another tragedy.

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This afternoon, Burnham joined Kelly and others with lived experience of knife crime to launch a new video entitled #SpeakingOutCouldSaveALife, encouraging people to report concerns around knife crime and serious violence in Greater Manchester.

The video is moving, but what is perhaps speaks loudest are the voices that have aligned themselves with Burnham and GMP on the campaign. As well as Kelly, who is bravely sharing her story in the hopes that no other parent will have to suffer what she has, he was joined by Matthew Norford, the CEO and founder of One Message - a community interest company that provides youth mentoring and crime prevention workshops.

Matthew knows only too well what a life on the wrong side of knife crime looks like. After a traumatic and challenging childhood, he became involved in gangs and drug dealing - a world where guns and knives are rife. He has spent time