Dad of murdered Haverhill teenager Harley Barfield vows to keep campaigning against knife crime
Harley Barfield was out with friends in Strasbourg Square on this day in 2023 when he was attacked
The dad of a 16 year-old boy - who died after he was stabbed in Haverhill - tells us he'll continue to campaign against knife crime in memory of his son.
Harley Barfield was out with friends in Strasbourg Square on this day in 2023 (9th January) when he was attacked.
He died of his injuries two days later, with a 17 year old currently serving life in prison for his murder.
Now on the two year anniversary of the attack, we've spoken to Harley's father Darryl Barfield, who says he's working hard to keep his son's memory alive: "We've got a GoFundMe Page on the Harley Barfield Project for Bleed Kits.
"Haverhill has now managed to get its first Bleed Kit up on Strasbourg Square, that was the place where the incident happened...
"We're trying to arrange a music event where all proceeds will go to the Harley Barfield Project to get more bleed kits and try to save at least one more life."
Darryl tells us he's also planning on giving a speech in a local school talking about the dangers of knife crime.
He says he'd like the chance to talk to more children and show them why carrying a knife "isn't worth it": "Education is a big part, we need to get kids at an early age and educate them to the right paths, then maybe knife crime might drop down."
Darryl also told us he's found the past couple of years incredibly difficult, losing his brother as well as Harley, and experiencing a severe decline in his mental health.
Though he's now received help and feels he's doing better, he says he still have difficult days: "The 28th December was Harley's 18th birthday.
"I was struggling like hell.
"Harley will never be able to take me to a pub and buy me a drink, even though I don't drink... unfortunately, I won't get that opportunity with him.
"It's quite hard. He's not here to drive a car, he's not here to have a family or work. He wanted to be a scaffolder and get his CITB certificate for levels 1, 2 and 3."
Since Harley's death, Darryl's worked hard to create memorials for his son - working with the local council to plant a tree in his memory and investigating whether he'll be able to get a skate park built in Haverhill.
He hopes this would give young people a safe haven to get involved in a new activity - and away from knife crime.
Greatest Hits Radio also reached out to Harley's mum Bernice, who told us she is working with other victims' families to tackle knife crime.