By Eva Peros

A bereaved Mum and social researcher from East Leeds, who has dedicated her life to advocating against youth violence and knife crime, has become the driving force behind a hard-hitting documentary to be screened later this month.

Having lost her son to knife crime ten years ago and in a bid to prevent other families from suffering the pain she has endured, Sarah Lloyd teamed up with Owen Seabrook from production company, Tell Studio tomake the 30-minute film.  

Almost two years in the making, Cut Short: Fighting Against Knives in the North, is aimed primarily at young people in local schools, community groups and young offender institutions. It offers non-judgmental, experiential guidance on the causes and consequences of using a knife, which they are hoping will deter others from entering a world of gang exploitation and youth violence.

The film is to be made freely available to youth organisations and schools  and includes a supplementary teaching package that enables them to   deliver workshops as part of their PSHE/RSHE learning. It also includes an audiobook by Sarah, as well as advice about safeguarding young people, suggested lesson plans, activities and worksheets.  

Over the past decade, Sarah has worked tirelessly alongside numerous organisations to reduce the impact of what has fast become a growing, nation-wide epidemic. In that time, she has also completed a Bachelor’s degree and is now part way through her Master’s degree at the University of Leeds, which she hopes will further aid her campaign work.

Sarah explains: “Ten years ago, my world was shattered when I lost my son to knife crime. Since then, I have been determined to try and prevent other families from going through what my family is still living with every day. I was adamant that my son wasn’t going to become another statistic and shared his loss with thousands of young people to try and prevent others from going down this path”.

Featured in the film alongside Sarah, is Vilson Duarte-Dong. During his early years, Vilson had competed as a gymnast in his country of birth. But after relocating to the UK, he encountered grief and poverty, leaving him vulnerable to criminal exploitation. This soon led to an incident that landed Vilson in custody and he is now engaging with young people in the hope of preventing others from going through what he went through.

Using his past, lived experience, Vilson has been working with Sarah to deliver workshops, focus groups and presentations to young people across the region to help raise awareness about criminal exploitation, gang and knife crime. In addition to his advocacy work, Vilson also manages a popular inner city bar and recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Leeds Beckett University.

The film also hears from others who have been affected by knife-related violence in different ways. People like youth worker, Matthew, who set up 1Message in 2016 to help young people make better choices after turning his back on gang-life. There are also first-hand accounts from local eyewitnesses, a current gang member who is supportive of Vilson’s new life path and a musician who has collaborated with the young people he now works with to produce the film’s soundtrack.

Increasingly prevalent and with perpetrators as young as six, knife crime in the UK has seen a surge in recent years, with the number of people killed with a knife last year the highest since records began. In West Yorkshire alone, last year there were around 3,000 recorded knife possessions for under 25’s, with latest ONS statistics ranking West Yorkshire as having one of the highest rates of knife crime across England and Wales.

Tell Studio Director, Owen, adds: “A lot of young people are just looking for guidance and support and gangs exploit that for their own aims.

“The film is just the beginning. The mission now is to place Cut Short before as many young people as possible, which is why we’ve built a teaching package that provides educators and youth workers with a thorough learning resource. By 2026, we want one million young people in the UK to have watched Cut Short and we are now contacting organisations around the country to help spread the word. We’re also calling for Members of Parliament to aid us in our mission.”

Cut Short: Fighting Against Knives in the North will have its first screening on the evening of the 26th October. If you work with young people who you think would benefit from watching the film and would like to attend the launch, please contact hello@tell.studio for more information. If you would like to register your interest for the film and teaching package click here.

For anyone affected by the issues covered in this article, help, advice and guidance is at hand by contacting:

In2Out is a registered charity that aims to reduce reoffending among young people aged 15-21 through their mentoring and resettlement process.

1Message – offers 1-1 mentoring services for young people who are at risk of, or engaged in anti-social and criminal activity, particularly in relation to gang related crimes. 

PACE – Offers support to parents and carers whose children are being exploited by offenders outside of the family

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to providing free, independent and confidential advice to support victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales.

Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland