Formby mum tipped to win Pride of Britain award

“What happened to Colin is happening more and more", Laura said.
19th September 2024

A Formby resident who has tirelessly campaigned against knife crime for years after the death of her much loved brother is now tipped to win a prestigious Pride Of Britain award.

Laura Hughes, who lives in Formby, set up campaign charity kNOw Knife Crime in 2019 on what would have been her brother Colin McGinty’s 40th birthday.

Colin was 21 when he was stabbed 15 times in a case of mistaken identity after a night out in Liverpool in 2001.

Since the charity was formed, Laura has helped raise over £115,000 for life-saving bleeding control kits and cabinets, and carries out knife crime prevention work across the UK.

Laura and her team have done incredible work recently in schools across Southport both in raising awareness and fundraising for bleed control kits outside school grounds.

“What happened to Colin is happening more and more”, Laura said.

“Wherever you see anyone socialising, we want to have equipment there and that’s why I’m going to keep going.

“I want Colin’s name to be on people’s lips by getting the young kids to know that knife crime isn’t the norm. That’s what scary because it is becoming much more normalised.”