AS FAMILIES ACROSS TYNESIDE CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE REMARKABLE NORTH EAST WOMEN WHO HAVE SURVIVED EVERY PARENTS' WORST NIGHTMARE 02:00, 30 Mar 2025 Spurred on

by grief and love, these are the heartbroken North East mums who will never stop fighting in memory of their lost children. Today families across Tyneside will be thanking mums for all their

selfless care and hard work with gifts and flowers. But for these brave women, today will be spent missing the sons and daughters who were taken from them by violence. Yet despite their

unimaginable agony these mums' remarkable strength has helped keep their precious children's names alive, while helping others. So to mark Mother's Day we are today paying

Gordon's name alive while raising money for others and spreading the message about the danger of knives. Dionne had to wait six long months for anyone to be charged in connection with

Gordon's death. So in a courageous bid to get witnesses to come forward the mum-of-three decided to reveal harrowing pictures of Gordon in his hospital bed, taken just days before he

died. Dionne told the Chronicle she also hoped the distressing images would discourage other young people from carrying knives. A month later Dionne put her own grief aside to help the

Chronicle launch its Stop Knives Taking Lives Campaign. Then in February 2023, when the eyes of Tyneside were on Wembley Stadium as Newcastle United played Manchester United in the Carabao

Cup final, Gordon's loved ones decided to use the historic game to raise awareness of his case, by displaying banners and fliers with Gordon's name and picture on around Wembley.

Their campaign caught the attention of Wallsend-born Newcastle United legend Lee Clark who issued a heartfelt plea to stamp out knife crime as he led a string of past players in delivering a

video message in Gordon's memory. Dionne has also launched several fundraising drives in Gordon's memory. She has been helping support Crawford House, which provides accommodation

to parents of seriously ill children that are being treated at the RVI. Dionne stayed at one of the flats while Gordon was in intensive care, and last week she delivered donations of fresh

pyjamas and toiletries to help families using the service. On the second anniversary of Gordon's death she said: "All these things are for Gordon. We are never ever going to be

getting Gordon back, but if I can help someone else I will for him." KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND TOP STORIES FROM THE NORTH EAST WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

ALISON MADGIN: Alison Madgin has devoted her life to educating young people about the dangers of carrying knives since her 18-year-old daughter Samantha was stabbed to death in Wallsend in

2007. After establishing the organisation Samantha's Legacy, the campaigner and her other daughter Carly Barrett have delivered workshops to hundreds of children in schools across the

North East in a bid to help stop more lived being claimed. And earlier this year Samantha's harrowing story was brought to life onstage after Alison worked with a local theatre company

to produce the moving play Our Sam. Alison, 59, has previously told how her work helped her keep going through her grief. "I could have gone the other way, but when I wake up in the

morning feel positive," she said. "It gives us a drive, because I hope this does make a change. "I feel that I have to do this. Some days you have to try and hold the tears

back. It's really hard, but there's definitely something inside us that drives us to do it. This is my life now." KAMILA WISNIEWSKA: Popular 14-year-old Tomasz Oleszak was

stabbed to death on Gateshead’s Springwell Estate in October 2022. Newcastle Crown Court heard how Leighton Amies, also aged 14 at the time, had left his home armed with a knife and got into

a confrontation with the group Tomasz was in, at Whitehills Nature Reserve, which borders the estate. During the row he stabbed unarmed Tomasz. The knife completely severed the cartilage of

the 14-year-old’s rib and went into his aorta. He later died in hospital. Amies, of Stuart Terrace in Felling, Gateshead, had denied murder, claiming he was acting in self-defence. But a

jury found him guilty of murdering Tomasz and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent on another boy. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years. Tomasz' heartbroken

mum has since issued an emotional plea to other young people, begging them to think again before carrying knives. And Kamila Wisniewska has urged parents to devote more time to their

children, monitor their behaviour and seek help from professionals if they need it. She said: "Who do you have to be to leave home armed with a knife or even worse a machete to meet

friends at that age, at 15, 16 or 17? What is this world coming to? Children kill children. "Behaviour, culture, goodness and respect for others and to the world are taught at home from

an early age. Therefore, I appeal to all parents and carers to pay more attention to their adolescent children, what they do, where they go out and who they associate with. "Be

interested in them, ask about their private life and their problems, because sometimes it is not visible. Sometimes they keep it to themselves and then it may be too late and someone will be

hurt." ZOEY MCGILL: On the second anniversary of her son's death Zoey McGill described the current knife crime epidemic as an "emergency". Jack Woodley was stabbed twice

by a gang of teens aged between 14 and 17, while attending Houghton Feast festival in Houghton-le-Spring on October 16, 2021. The 18-year-old, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, died in

hospital the next day. Zoey, 37, said: "Jack was really funny. You could be having a bad day and he would lighten your mood. He was very carefree. I used to always tell him to grow up

but now I'm actually glad he lived the way that he did. We never ever thought in a million years that we would be losing him at 18. "Jack's injuries were horrific. I

can't believe 10 kids did that in a matter of seconds. I'm absolutely horrified that we are still seeing it. I just think there's more needs to be done, lots more work needs

to be done. "It's a massive emergency as far as I'm concerned. It kills me when it comes on the news. Its extremely traumatic. I relive what happened to Jack. What's

going on is absolutely disgusting. I fear for our children. If this carries on we're not going to have a future. We're burying our kids faster then anything else. It has to

stop." MICALA TRUSSLER: Holly Newton was just 15-years-old when she was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail in an alleyway in Hexham two years ago. After seeing the

killer locked up, Holly's mum Micala Trussler told of her frustration that Holly's case is not classified as a domestic violence murder due to the fact her daughter was aged under

16 when she died. And the heartbroken mum has called for more advice and support for young teens experiencing abuse in relationships. Micala has since campaigned for more awareness about

domestic violence between young people in Holly's memory. Micala and her partner Lee have also set-up the organisation Holly's Hope in her memory. They have been raising funds to

buy and install 'bleed boxes' and critical injury kits around the region to ensure that life-saving equipment is available to the publics in an emergency. They have already

installed a bleed box at Hexham Abbey. TANYA BROWN: Connor Brown had everything to live for when his life was snatched away at the age of just 18. Connor had been out in Sunderland to

celebrate a friend's birthday when he crossed paths with armed Leighton Barrass in an alleyway, during the early hours of February 24, 2019. Newcastle Crown Court heard how Connor had

tried to protect members of the public after Barrass, threatened to stab people with a Joker-style knife when trouble flared behind the Borough pub. Connor landed a pre-emptive punch to try

to deal with the threat, but Barrass then stabbed him five times. Barrass, then 20 and of of Hartside Square, Sunderland, was convicted of murdering Connor and jailed for life with a minimum

of 20 years. Ally Gordon, also 20 and then of Polmuir Road, Sunderland, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and locked-up for three-and-a-half years. His parents Simon

and Tanya could never have imagined that they would lose their popular hard-working son to knife violence. And since Connor's death they have devoted their lives to educating young

people about the dangers of carrying weapons. In September 2021 Simon and Tanya set-up the Connor Brown Trust in a bid to prevent other families from suffering the way they have. Since

getting funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Simon and Tanya have been delivering workshops to young people in schools and other settings where they tell

Connor's story. Tanya has previously told the Chronicle that she will never give up her fight to stop other families suffering the way hers has. She said: "We won't stop doing

what we do. "Not every family ahs the strength or the confidence to do it, and fight, so we are doing it for them. We want to fight for them. It's about all the victims."

SHARON HENDERSON: As her little girl's murderer walked the streets Sharon Henderson turned detective herself in a bid to get justice for her daughter. Seven-year-old Nikki Allan's

body was found in a derelict building the morning after she went missing near her family's home in Sunderland. Who killed the youngster remained a mystery for almost 30 years, until a

DNA breakthrough enabled detectives to link David Boyd, 57, from Stockton, to his horrific crime. In the years that followed her daughter's murder Sharon looked for clues herself in a

bid to find Nikki's killer after becoming frustrated with the lack of progress police had made. She even met potential new witnesses herself and spent years pressing police for answers.

As he stood trial at Newcastle Crown Court a jury heard how Boyd tricked Nikki into going with him, with the intention of sexually abusing her. When she screamed, he then forced her into

the dark disused Exchange building where he smashed her skull with a brick and stabbed her 37 times. In May 2023 he was jailed for life with a minimum of 29 years behind bars. SUE HILLS:

Northumbria University graduate Alice Ruggles was murdered by her ex Trimaan Dhillon on October 12, 2016. The former soldier had launched a campaign of frightening stalking and harassment

after their brief relationship ended, before cutting the 24-year-old’s throat at her flat on Rawling Road in Bensham, Gateshead. Dhillon, whose regiment was based in Edinburgh, was found

guilty of murder and jailed for life. During the darkest days after their daughter's murder Clive Ruggles and Sue Hills were torn between the crippling cloud of grief, and the

determination to do something to stop more lives being taken by obsessive stalkers. When the couple set up The Alice Ruggles Trust in a bid to raise awareness of stalking, they had no idea

just how big a job they were taking on. But Sue has previously told the Chronicle that she intended to make tackling stalking her "life's work" and how she knew this would be

something Alice would have been proud of. She said: "I used to feel quite sad about it and think I want to leave this behind, and ask, 'why am I doing this?' But I'm

doing this because it's the right thing to do. I think this is forever now, this is our life's work. "Alice would have been really proud. She would have thought it was the

right thing to do." LIZ NEAILEY: The mum of murdered schoolboy Wesley Neailey has spent almost three decades fighting to keep her son's killer behind bars. Wesley disappeared after

leaving his home, on Croydon Road in Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle, on June 5, 1998. At first Liz thought her son might have just met up with some friends and lost track of time. But as darkness

fell Liz began to fear the worst. Wesley was initially treated as a missing person by police and Newcastle's West End community, who knew the schoolboy well, came together to search

for him. Posters were put up in the windows of homes and shops as our sister paper, the Sunday Sun, staged a reconstruction of Wesley’s last movements. But it would later be revealed that

all efforts were in vain, as Wesley was dead within hours of disappearing. A jury at Newcastle Crown Court found Dominic McKilligan, then 18, guilty of murder and rape at the end of a

three-week trial. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years. However, McKilligan later successfully appealed his rape conviction meaning he will not be on the sex offenders register

if he is released. McKilligan has since made four applications for parole. Each time Liz has warned of the dangers of her son's killer being freed. Article continues below Last year she

said: "All I want to do is save other people's children. I don't want anyone's family going through what we have gone through. I would be really worried about other

children if he got out." JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITIES ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities. We have a number of communities to join, so you can

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