Church service held for victims of gun and knife crime in the UK.

Oct 17 2010 by Jane Tyler, Sunday Mercury

FAMILIES whose lives have been ruined by knife and gun crime held an emotional church service in Birmingham to remember their loved ones.

Around 300 people attended the memorial service at St Martin’s in the Bullring yesterday.

The service has been staged every year since 2003 by the Families For Peace organisation, which counsels and supports bereaved families where a young relative has died by being shot or stabbed.

Founder member and anti-gun campaigner, Gleen Reid, whose 28-year-old son Corey was shot dead in Handsworth ten years ago, masterminds the event and said it was a way of reminding people of the misery guns and knives bring.

“We are celebrating the lives of the young people and it is a way for the families to keep alive their memories,” she said.

“It is also a chance for families to meet others in the same situation, to know they’re not alone and there is support out there.

“When I held the first service I didn’t think I would be holding another one but, sadly, every year we keep adding new victims to the list.”

As the service was under way the names and photographs of victims from across the UK were flashed onto large screens.

Ms Reid said this year for the first time they were also remembering the soldiers killed in Afghanistan.