Our 17 year old son Charlie cruelly left this world after being stabbed 4 times at a house party in July 2023. Charlie was fun-loving, kind, caring, loyal, funny and cheeky with the most ridiculously silly sense of humour.

If this evil crime can happen to Charlie - a young lad who didn't like arguments and who avoided trouble - it can happen to anyone. Charlie had never been in a fight, he was always the first to walk away from trouble. He was a kind and gentle soul.

I made a promise to Charlie when he laid fighting for his life that I will do everything I can to campaign and fight against knife crime and the immeasurable impact it has on the victim and their families and friends. Knife crime is getting out of control in the UK and our young people deserve better. They should be able to attend a party, in a sleepy village, have a fun time and return home safely to their family. Sadly, Charlie did not, and we as his parents and siblings had to endure that knock on the door from the police that every parent dreads, to tell them their child, their brother, had been stabbed, had suffered life threatening injuries and wasn't expected to live.

We have launched a Charity in memory of Charlie called 'Charlie's Promise'. With the aim of going in to schools and youth groups to educate children about the dangers and impacts of knife crime. If you're like us, when you think of knife crime you think of cities, of London, of gangs, of troubled kids. But this was not Charlie's world. Charlie had dreams, he had aspirations, he had opportunities, he had an amazing apprenticeship which he loved, he had good friends who meant the world to him, he had a loving family and he was loved so much. Yet he, and his family and friends, have fallen victim to this hideous crime.

Thank you for reading and for your support. Love Martin (Charlie's Dad)