Knife crime and murder groups unite to help Wales

The MAMAA charity - Mothers Against Murder and Aggression - is launching a MAMAA group for Wales tomorrow at the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff with other groups working to prevent knife crime among young people.

MAMAA was set up after the murder of James Bulger in 1993. MAMAA has supported over 600 families bereaved through murder, and continues to offer support to them, and the many more families that join this ever growing list.

MAMAA works tirelessly in prevention measures and raising weapons awareness, going into schools and YOIs talking to young people about Victim Awareness and the dangers and consequences of carrying weapons.

They are on Home Office panels, police advisory panels and are often asked to act in an advisory capacity.

MAMMA has been jointly responsible for changing four laws in this country, with the aim of making the burden of losing a loved one through an act of murder, easier for the family left behind. They say there is still much to do.

MAMMA is a charity and rely on donations to be able to carry out our work, and welcome anything you can do to help.

If you need to talk to someone or need help and advice, please go to their website - www.mamaa.org

Here's a message from the Wales group organiser Dee Edwards:

"Dee thanks all the families of murder victims for help with pictures etc for launch of MAMAA Wales tomorrow at Welsh Assembly Cardiff.

"Thank you all for your help and the messages of support. I am not only using pictures of knife crime victims or only young people, or recent murders. We are highlighting the fact that hundreds of people are murdered every year, of all ages and in many different ways and the loss of one life affects hundreds of other people."