Holly Watson, whose brother Lewis was fatally stabbed in 2009, received an award earlier in the year for her bravery and dedication from Suffolk Police Force. Holly’s ‘I Don’t Carry A Knife’ campaign has lead to the teenager working with the police to install blade amnesty bins across the county. Since then, more than 4,300 knives have been collected, and Holly’s inspiring campaign shows no signs of slowing down.
The Mackman Group supplied Holly with a website in June of this year, and has since continued its support of Holly’s essential campaign. In the early days of the ‘I Don’t Carry A Knife’ campaign, back in September 2010, Holly and her mum Angela, first had the idea for a wristband. ‘We just thought it’d be the perfect way for people to show their support in the community,’ explains Holly.
With just over 5,000 bright blue (Lewis’ favourite colour) wristbands supplied by Mackman, Holly’s already got plans for each and every one of them! ‘I’m going to all of the local schools when term starts, and will ask them to donate a little section of wall to our cause. We’re inviting kids to pledge not to carry a knife, either by carving, writing, or spray-painting their name onto the wall. Then their wristband will always be a reminder of the important promise they’ve made.’
The Prince of Wales pub in Sudbury has also agreed to distribute the wristbands to its customers. ‘After all, it’s not just kids who need to be aware of the campaign – adults do too,’ says Holly.