Two Nottingham mums who turned a 'parent's worst nightmare' into a lifelong legacy have spoken out over their efforts to change society for good. For both Zoe Cooke and Aimee Wood, said losing their children was a shock and came as a "tragedy" that changed their lives forever.
Ms Cooke still remembers the day when her son Byron Griffin promised he would return home for dinner. "He asked me if I will cook dinner, and said he will come in two hours", she said while recalling the tragedy.
But Byron never came home. Ms Cooke, from West Bridgford, received a call from police later in the day to inform her that her 22-year-old son was stabbed through the heart with a kitchen knife in Eyre’s Garden, Ilkeston, at around 12.40pm on Sunday, July 4, of last year.
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Mr Griffin, from East Leake, was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre, in Nottingham, where he died. Jordan Fairbrother, Dylan Geary, Daniel Lewsley and Grant Masterson were all found guilty of his murder following a six-week trial at Derby Crown Court.
Geary, 22, and Lewsley, 32, will serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, while Masterson, 29, will serve a minimum of 26 years and Fairbrother, 26, a minimum of 27 years. The final blows were delivered by Fairbrother, who stabbed a kitchen knife through the heart of Mr Griffin.
The devastated mum said the heartbreak "does not get better with time" - but she has since built a legacy in Byron's name to try and prevent this tragedy happening to other families. Ms Cooke, who works as a training centre worker, has set up a fundraising campaign to buy bleed kits aiming to protect people in and around the city.
She has run multiple campaigns across Nottinghamshire to fight against knife crime. "I feel like if I can save at least one life then Byron did not die in vain", Ms Cooke added.
"He was taken away from me, and my future was also taken away from me", she said. "Byron always wanted to be a dad and I could not wait to become a grandma. I am 48 now and I still do not have grandchildren."
Most recently, her efforts to prevent knife crime were recognised nationally. She is one of two Nottingham-based finalists who will be representing the city at the JustGiving Awards ceremony on October 10.
Ms Cooke made the final three and has been nominated for the Changemaker of the Year. Speaking of the achievement, she said she was "gobsmacked" and "shocked" when she received the news.
"I thought it was a scam at first", she added. She will attend the event in London alongside Aimee Wood, who was nominated in the Outstanding Commitment category.
Ms Wood lost her 5 years old daughter Olivia when she died unexpectedly following an open heart surgery at the hospital. She had to "watch my daughter die" in front of her eyes.
The 42-year-old teacher from Nottingham said her loss was "felt by the entire community". She added: "It was a difficult time for everyone who knew her. It was a tragedy.
"She was the joyous, vibrant character. Someone like her, being absent in the community was so noticeable.
"She was not a wallflower. She did not shy away. She was a bubbly, vivacious ball of energy that had no bounds. She literally was an absolute diamond."
Her death 'left a mark' on her 5-year-old friends, and on the wider community who knew her. It was this tragedy that determined Ms Woods to open a conversation about grief and the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
Aimee is making it her mission to introduce better support in schools through her charity, 'Olivia's Smile'. Thanks to her, school communities will learn how to deal with grief after experiencing a loss.
She said she was "surprised" to be nominated for the Just Giving awards. She added: "I have actually met Zoe in a nail salon in West Bridgford, and we started chatting.
"I am just so happy for both of us that we are getting that recognition for making a change in our society. Two mums in Nottingham who turned a heartbreak into a legacy that changes people's lives."
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