Community · Swindon
Swindon sister launches 'Empty Chairs' campaign to highlight knife crime impact
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
A Swindon resident is launching a new awareness campaign featuring the empty chairs of knife crime victims to illustrate the lasting void left in grieving families.
A Swindon woman whose brother was killed in a knife attack has launched a poignant new awareness campaign to highlight the devastating and long-term impact that knife crime has on victims and their families. Jordan Turner, founder of the support organisation Change Lives, No To Knives, has introduced the 'Empty Chairs' project as a way to focus on the human reality behind the statistics.
The campaign encourages families across the country who have lost loved ones to knife crime to submit photographs of their empty chairs. According to Ms Turner, the chair is a powerful symbol of the physical void left in the home, representing the places at the table that will remain forever empty at family meals, birthdays and celebrations. Once collected, these images will be compiled into a collage to be shared on social media and at awareness events.
Ms Turner lost her brother, Lee, in 2021 after he was stabbed in Swindon. Since that time, she has worked to build a positive legacy for him by trying to change mindsets and provide support for those affected by such violence. She explains that for many people, a reported stabbing is an event that is quickly forgotten, but for the families involved, the trauma is a daily reality.
"We chose the symbol of Lee's chair because he is not sat there anymore when he should be eating Sunday dinner, or when we are eating Christmas dinner," she said. "There is a massive void, and he is missed so much. Lee was not a statistic. These are people that we loved, people that took part in our lives."
Swindon remains central to the campaign, as it is the place where Lee grew up and where he died. Ms Turner hopes that the visual impact of the empty chairs will resonate with the public and encourage lawmakers to address both the prevalence of knife crime and the level of support currently available to bereaved families.
Beyond the awareness-raising, Ms Turner aims to use the project to let other victims know they are not alone. She notes that while victim support officers provide essential assistance, the long-term emotional toll often falls heavily on families who feel they must navigate their grief on their own. She urges anyone who has lost a loved one to knife crime to participate in the campaign and reiterates her call for anyone considering carrying a knife to reconsider the consequences.
Information regarding support for those affected by knife crime can be found through the Change Lives, No To Knives organisation.
Source: Swindon Advertiser · View original