POPPIES + peace... fighting for peace with flowers

THE POPPY, at this time of year (a time remembering the slaughter of many in wars) is a poignant reminder of lives gone, people dead at the hands of often poor quality politicians (and/or political system) and stupid powers-that-be, lives laid down as a form of self-defence, defending families and populations at home.

I've been reading several articles about wearing a poppy in November in the run-up to the Armistice remembrance - a longing for peace marked by similarly poor quality politicians who have sent many to their deaths in the past.

• Wearing a poppy now justfies folly of current politicians
• Wearing a 'fashionable' poppy mocks the war dead
• Reasons to not wear a poppy because it promotes war
• White poppies campaign for peace

I look at the huge numbers of poppies that abound at this time and 'see' a sea of blood, wasted lives, societies and families losing their children, parents, friends and other loved ones. People worth remembering - and then prompting thoughts of how to achieve peace.

New anti-knife website launched to stem rise in UK stabbings

WORKING to reverse a new rise in knife crime announced this week, a campaigning British mum is stepping up her hard-hitting national campaign against violence in the UK.

Set up in memory of her much-loved teenage son Chris Cave, Theresa Cave has launched a new website built by leading international digital marketing consultancy White Hat Media. 

Brighton-based White Hat Media has designed, developed and built the fresh new online platform for The Chris Cave Foundation (http://www.thechriscavefoundation.org), with funding from the National Lottery.

Chris was stabbed to death by a violent gang leader when he was 17 years old. Since then, his mum Theresa has not rested to communicate a relentless and uncompromising anti-violence message to the world.

The mobile-friendly website is another step to better reach more people across the world to try to stop violence and killings. The new site now hosts a range of modern online features and information, including:

• Weapons-related education via the POINT7 anti-knife crime project
• Memorial zone for the families and friends of victims
• Discussion forum for people affected by knife and other violent crimes
• Donations section to contribute to the Foundation's campaigning work

Chris Cave (17), knife victim

Sporting a contemporary look, the site is planned to act as a key information hub on news and facts relating to knife and other violent crime across Britain while also providing a place for those who have been directly affected to come together and discuss experiences.

The Foundation, an evolution of the Mothers for Justice group, was founded by Theresa Cave, after her son's killing on June 5, 2003, in Redcar, a coastal town in the north east of England. 

Chris's foundation is primarily a legacy to young people, aiming to educate and inform with the main aim to eliminate violent crimes.

Theresa's awareness and education work, via face-to-face training and also online using social media and her son’s website, continues to gather support across the UK as well as her home region in the north east of England.

Announcing the new site's launch, Theresa said: "It is important to maintain a high level of knife and violent crime awareness in the country and to provide education, especially for young people, to try to stop the stabbings and other attacks that happen too often.

"I lost my son to knife crime and I won't stop working to get out the message that violence isn't the answer. People must stop and think – and simply not use their fists, knives or any other weapons.

“To hear knife crime is rising means it is more important than ever to focus on hard-hitting messages and education to try to change hearts and minds of those who decide to use violence and carry weapons that can kill.”

She continued: "The new website set up in Chris's memory is a very effective way to communicate about this work and I'm very grateful to White Hat Media for their excellent work putting it together and for the financial support from the National Lottery."

Theresa approached Mark Chapman, Client Strategy and Services Director at White Hat Media, to build the website after they had met online many years ago, sharing tragic experiences as well as a similar desire and drive to stop knife crime and other violence.

Mark set up his own UK knife crime blog (just type in 'knife crime blog' on Google to find it) after he and his family were caught up in a stabbing during a Saturday lunchtime party at a McDonald’s restaurant in Chichester, West Sussex, in 2005. He went to try to save a supervisor who, tragically, had been fatally injured.

Mark said: "Theresa has made huge progress to drive home a powerful, educative message designed to persuade those prone to violence, especially young people, to become more peaceful. By building a new website in Chris's memory, White Hat wanted to show their support for his mum's tireless campaigning."

Kevin Elliott, Operations Director at White Hat Media – whose design and technical team developed the website using the content management system Drupal – said: "We are delighted that Theresa and her family now have a fully-optimised online platform to publicise this important issue. Using the content management system Drupal, we have been able to create an intelligent mobile responsive site that is also social media-friendly."

Further information, interviews, quotes, online marketing and website case studies are available on request. Contact: Gemma Nash, Content & Social Media Executive, telephone: 08455 440223 Email: gemma.nash@whitehatmedia.com

Ben Kinsella celebrity gala evening "to put the knives away"

WHAT are you doing on the evening of Monday June 25th (this month)? Does your diary or calendar show anything on? Just check it now... go on.

Why not think about having a great night out while donating to the campaign against knife crime?

While enjoying a night of fun and celebrity, you can help make a difference to the sometimes lawless streets and homes of Britain.

**STOP PRESS: You can now buy tickets for this special evening by visiting the tid music website here.

The night is designed to help raise money for The Ben Kinsella Trust (see www.benkinsella.org.uk).

Helping organise the event, actress Brooke Kinsella and sister Jade are planning a trek to Peru's Machu Picchu mountain ridge to lay a stone for brother Ben who was stabbed and died when he was aged 16.

The commemorative act is planned for October 27 this year marking Ben's 21st birthday had he been alive today.

See event details 'full size' by clicking poster

Comedian and tv show host Alan Carr will MC at the celebrity gala evening to be held at Gilgamesh, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH.

Alan Carr to host The Ben Kinsella Trust gala evening

Entertainment will be provided by Jaz Ellington from The Voice UK, Lemar and The West End Cast of We Will Rock You, Damage - with music by Pete Tong plus a 'Special Guest'.

Tickets are priced at £130 and £100 for (slightly) restricted view.

A truly great event to support - and help persuade people to stop carrying knives, to put the knives away.

There are many examples these days of strong and powerful campaigns, creative, design, writing and activities in the UK today that focus on preventing knife and other violent crime

Probably one of the more effective is The Ben Kinsella Trust.

If you've not looked through the Trust's website (or Facebook pages), and I mean really looked through it, go on and take a look.

View the videos, study the photos and the messages, observe the positive work underway to try to make a difference to the knife crime menace that seems to pervade this nation at times.

Aftermath of knife crimes

The Kinsella family, friends and associates are more public living examples of what happens after a knife crime event. They have been through the tragedy, devastation and many other lows as they try to move on from a killing of a loved one. (And there are also some suffering in private, perhaps alone, and without the comfort of hearing from people who understand suffering; they may need reaching more than others.)

Reading through some of the Ben Kinsella coverage, the following incident causes one to reflect how the impact of knife crime goes on a long time after a fatal attack.

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Here's a reflection about one incident to have affected the Kinsellas...

Brooke + Jade Kinsella

If of sound mind, you'd think you'd just want to keep a low profile if involved in killing someone. You'd think the shame and guilt would get to you. But of course, perhaps these minds are not quite that sound.

Imagine that's why Jade Braithwaite one of those convicted of the murder of Ben Kinsella started using Facebook while in prison to say: "I'm down but not out" and posted a photo of a t-shirt with 'Free Jade' emblazoned on it (see this Jade Braithwaite 'using Facebook in jail' media coverage).

No words necessary to describe how much most people would be sickened at that. People don't want to hear that rubbish; they are more likely looking for at least some regret for a wrong action. Forgiving killers so full of themselves isn't really on the agenda when they start spouting about their 'ego' and nothing about the life they have taken away.

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This is just one example of how the aftermath of a knife crime murder (or maiming) can devastate and continue to hurt those affected by murderers who take (or damage) people's lives in a moment and wound the victim's loved ones for the rest of their lifetimes.

Think about attending the Trek For Ben Celebrity Gala Evening, or simply donating to The Ben Kinsella Trust. You just might help prevent suffering, save a life... maybe many. These are good things to do.

Onwards...

Trying to cope with the loss of loved ones by violence

DO NOT lose heart or hope! The steeper the road, the faster it rises toward ever wider horizons.

Life is a talent entrusted to us so that we can transform it and increase it, making it a gift to others. No man is an iceberg drifting on the ocean of history. Each one of us belongs to a great family in which he has his place and his own role to play.

Selfishness makes people deaf and dumb; love opens eyes and hearts, enabling people to make that original and irreplaceable contribution which, together with the thousands of deeds of so many brothers and sisters, often distant and unknown, converges to form the mosaic of charity which can change the tide of history.

(Said by a greater man than me!)

'Miles Not Knives' nominated as Children's Champion

READ and learn about Danny O'Brien who runs the 'Miles Not Knives' group - you would be wise to vote for him as a Children's Champion in the News of the World. You can also join the 'Miles Not Knives' Facebook group.

Soon (hopefully), he will be penning the odd post for this knife crime blog. Please give him a warm welcome - it's cold and deadly out there sometimes, it's very sad to say. Into a new decade against murders and violence we go...

Anti-knife crime work on Facebook

Anti-knife crime campaigning is alive and well on Facebook. Not sure if readers of this blog are aware but there is a huge number of anti-violence, knife and gun groups on FB.

Here's one I wanted to highlight - the Miles Not Knives Campaign (this is a Facebook link) is one of many worth following. Plenty of activity and many members.

If you wanted to feel you were contributing to the anti-knife campaigning, support Danny and his Facebook group!

When I joined, the organiser Danny O'Brien followed up with a personal message which I publish below to give you a flavour of his dedication etc.

Coming up he has a big fundraising walk some of you football fans may want to support - it's a 24-hour knife awareness walk between Tottenham and Arsenal football grounds starting Saturday May 30 at 10am.

Danny said:

"Thank you for joining my group and for offering your support. I am a novice at this anti-knife group compared to many. I was one of the main organizers of THE PEOPLES MARCH last September, but sadly that group disbanded afterwards and so this year I have formed my own group and already we have hit nearly 1,900 members. 

"What I lack in funds etc I make up in time spent online and out explaining the danger of knife crime. I am doing a 24 hour fund raising walk with money going to the Ben Kinsella fund. 

"I like to build up my own website, but not that IT clever and also trying to find a cheap price for printing t-shirts etc as I made a promise to make my group as proactive as poss in the battle against knife crime.

"Best Wishes Danny"

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."

Knife crime and Joe Swash, king of the jungle

Knife crime and "I'm a celebrity, Get me out of here" - I didn't think the two would be connected. But thank goodness they are!

Joe Swash - the winner of the reality TV show set in the outback of Australia over the past three weeks - has donated his charity money, estimated at £30,000, from the show to an anti-knife crime campaign in memory of 16-year-old victim Ben Kinsella.

As a friend of the dead youngster's sister, Brooke, he decided to donate the money to fund anti-street crime and related charity work.