Father of James Brindley outlines plans to expand Aldridge knife-crime charity

The James Brindley Foundation marked its sixth anniversary this week, with the official opening of new offices in High Street, Aldridge.

James, a 26-year-old fitness instructor, was walking home from a night out in Aldridge when he was accosted by two brothers in Little Aston Road.

He was stabbed through the heart by 17-year-old Ammar Kahrod in June 2017, who was later jailed for life for his murder, and told he must spend at least 17 years behind bars.

The James Brindley Foundation was set up by Mr Brindley's parents Mark and Beverley, and his sister Charlotte, to help tackle the causes of knife crime among young people.

The charity runs the award-winning Full Circle programme which works with schools in educating youngsters about decision-making skills and the potential consequences of their actions.

Mark Brindley said expanding the scheme to work with the families of children who may be vulnerable to being drawn into crime would complete the package.

"We are going to extend our package of support to include parents," he said.

"Some parents don't have the knowledge or the skills to be able to track their children's behaviour.

"Offering the chance for parents to develop those skills will help us complete the circle."

Speaking during a ceremony to mark the opening of the new base, attended by the High Sheriff of the West Midlands Douglas Wright, Deputy Lieutenant David Frost, and Wendy Morton MP, Mr Brindley said he found it hard to comprehend how many years had passed since James's death.

"How we miss him," he said.

"There is no corner or aspect of our lives, that hasn’t been destructively impacted by the events of June 23, 2017 – except for one, the foundation, which has been a motivation and a focus for our family, indeed, a lifeline.

"Everyone here has played a part in support of our charity and as a consequence, has directly and positively impacted our lives as James’s family."

Mr Brindley said the new base would allow the charity to broaden its work, providing somewhere to host events and courses.

He added that trustees David Miller and Sally Neville will be climbing 22,000ft up Mount Everest to raise funds for the foundation's work.

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