'It's a massive bubbling pot of different issues'

CAMPAIGNING MUM'S APPEAL TO KEEP TEEN SELF-DEFENCE CLUB OPEN

- STEPHANIE BALLOO News Reporter

WHEN Rachel Warren's son was just 15, he was robbed at knife-point on his way home in Birmingham.

He and his friends were stripped of their phones and wallets after they were threatened by eight teenagers, setting his mum Rachel on a mission to protect children across the city.

Rachel is the driving force behind award-winning campaign group Birmingham Says No, working to engage youngsters and keep them off the streets.

Her latest venture, an after-school club offering free self-defence classes in Handsworth, was forced to close after funding ran dry after the eight-week pilot scheme with the Violence Reduction Partnership.

The club, which Rachel ran with Deidre Kelly, star of reality show Benefits Street, was given an initial £10,000.

As part of the Birmingham Mail's Deep Cuts probe into the causes of knife crime, we are urging people to donate to help the hub reopen.