'No pain like losing a child,' says knife activist

A woman whose teenage son was stabbed to death said there was "no pain like losing your child" as she launched an anti-knife crime campaign.

Louis-Ryan Menezes, 17, was killed in Northampton on 25 May 2018.

His mother, Cheri Curran, said a video made to deter young people from carrying a knife showed the "forever pain" felt by families.

It premiered at Northampton Museum on Wednesday after being developed during workshops held across the county.

"There is no pain like losing your child to knife crime but seeing everyone come together for this campaign gives me hope," Ms Curran said.

"The video is from the perspective of young people - it shows that forever pain.

"I hope that through this we can reach them and stop another family from living with that heartache and loss."

The campaign, called "When you carry a knife, no-one wins", was commissioned by the Northamptonshire Serious Violence Prevention Partnership.

Formed in 2023, the partnership's aim was to stabilise and reduce serious violence in the county, as well as understanding its underlying causes.

Police and fire services were made members, as were both of Northamptonshire's councils.

Wednesday's event followed a strategy that was issued by the partnership about how it would tackle issues going forward.

Danielle Stone, Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: "The power of this campaign is that it was shaped by young people, for young people.

"We really need to listen hard to what they say to us.

"It speaks to the devastating consequences of carrying a knife in a way that is meaningful to them."

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.