Derby mum dedicating her life to turning lives around, in memory of murdered son
Jamie Simpson was murdered in 2008
A Derby mum's told us she wants to dedicate her life to supporting young people, in memory of her murdered son.
Jamie Simpson was stabbed to death when he was working at Matalan in Hackney, London back in 2008.
'Anybody's worst nightmare'
Lorna Simpson is Jamie's mum, she told us she found out her son had been killed, when she got a knock at the door in the middle of the night:
"I think it is anybody's worst nightmare. In a million years, I never thought that anything would happen to Jamie.
"The police officer said something had happened to him and that he had been killed. My husband fell to the floor. I went into shock and could not even cry.
"Whilst my husband did nothing but cry," she said.
'Me and him against the world'
Lorna told us about her relationship with her son: "In a way, I always say it was like me and him against the world. We were very close.
"If I was ever down, he was always there to pick me up. Losing him has affected us all in very different ways.
"We notice it most at birthdays and family gatherings. You can tell that someone is missing because Jamie is no longer with us," she said.
The 'Forward Vision' programme...
Lorna told us his death inspired her to set up a programme that would support young people in Derby: "I had this drive that I had to do something for Jamie, I could not let him die in vain."
The programme is called 'Forward Vision' and is being run as a pilot at the moment, with plans to roll it out even wider next Spring.
It is a 12-session programme, teaching children about cooking, budgeting and self-care.
'They do not have to pick up a knife'
Lorna told us what she hopes young people will get out of the programme: "I would like youngsters to think about the choices they are making. If they decide to pick up a knife or a gun, it can have a big impact on their life.
The programme is for children as young as 8, Lorna said: "If you catch them young, it could prevent them from getting involved with things like gangs.
"I want to help them look at life in a different way, they do not have to pick up a knife as well," she said.