This is Lynne's Story

In November 2000, Lynne’s son Terry, aged 19, was stabbed and killed over an argument about a girl. From that moment on Dawn’s life changed completely. Danny’s attacker, a boy of 16, was jailed for a minimum of 10 years.

“Since that time I have suffered from agoraphobia and panic attacks. I still can't get my head around it. I live day-to-day. Nothing ever surprises me and nothing comes close to the shock I felt when I heard about my son's death. I was in a very bad place. But five years on I set up the Terry Booker Foundation for parents like me - I named it after Terry - based on the principle of helping women come out of the  darkness and into the light. I run a 24 hour support line - when things get bad it’s important to be able to reach out to someone you know understands.

Safer London Foundation has been like a rock to me, helping me with funding and also with the kind of support that’s hard to find elsewhere. SLF has been with me every step of the way, helping me to set up the group as a Community Interest Company and now with a grant to keep the group going for two years. Sadly there are over 30 of us and many are the mothers of knife crime victims. Now we’re able to open the drop-in centre in 2009.”

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SLF’s most recent grant to the Terry Booker Foundation was to assist with the organisations activities over a two year period, including monthly meetings, counselling services, life coaches, an interpreter and a 24-hour helpline.

Lynne was awarded the Ambassador of Peace award at the Global Peace Festival in 2008 and is an active campaigner against knife crime.