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.
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 in prison, and his own brother was shot in 2011. His voice lends real power to the campaign.
"I started One Message because I was that kid," Matthew said. "I was getting no love at home, I was getting beaten by parents.
"It was family members that got me and my brother into selling drugs. Through all my experiences of being shot, going to jail, being suicidal, I can relate to these kids".
He partners with schools across Greater Manchester and beyond, speaking to children about the true consequences of knife crime and acting as a bridge between the police and the community - a gap that can prove tough to close.
"You've got to let the kid know they are loved and break the wall between them and the authorities," he said. His message is one of tough love - "You cannot do crime and think you're going to retire in Spain.
"I thought I was going to do that, but no - you go to jail and ultimately, death. Now, I've got a good life, and they get to see that."
Speaking to the M.E.N, Kelly highlighted the importance of communities - including parents, schools, and social services - working together and communicating to ensure young people feel safe enough to speak up about knife crime. She advised parents concerned about their child's behaviour to keep in touch with teachers, as well as keep lines of communication open with their child.
"Communities need to come together and talk amongst each other," she said. "Then it will build trust with everyone else. I think it's important that we're all working together, because if you can save one life, you're doing something right."
The campaign is also keen to highlight how carrying a knife affects not only any potential victim, but the carrier and the people around them too. As a criminal offence, those who are found carrying a knife can be sent to prison and suffer punishment through the criminal justice system.
Burnham said the social climate that children are experiencing now is "very different" from the one that he and others on the campaign experienced, citing the ways social media has fundamentally changed the ways children interact.
"Things are more volatile," he said. "Things can escalate more quickly. There will be some people carrying weapons or knives out of aggression. But there'll be other young people in Greater Manchester carrying knives out of fear, fear of what might happen to them, and to protect themselves.
"That arms race is a nightmare. And that's what we've got to disrupt."
Speaking to the M.E.N after the launch, Burnham issued a "sincere" message to all children in Greater Manchester: "I believe in you, we believe in you. We will help you have a good future if you can work with us.
"This place could be even better with the next generation, and with us using all the talents of the next generation. So let's be positive and look out for each other. Nobody here needs to feel that there is no future for them because we will always do whatever we can to support our young people."
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