A five-year-old boy was among hundreds who turned their backs on knife crime at a special event in memory of Bournemouth stabbing victim Nicholas Ormerod.

A party on what would have been Nicholas’s 31st birthday was chosen for the national launch of the new Anti Knife Awareness Campaign, which will run alongside two existing UK-wide groups, Turn Your Back On Knife Crime and Anti Knife UK.

Nicholas’s mum, Jane, of Cranleigh Road, Southbourne has joined forces with national campaigner Danny O’Brien in a bid to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives. The party, held at the Athelstan public house, gave people the chance to have their photographs taken, symbolically turning their backs.

The little boy pictured, named Lucas, is the son of one of Nicholas’s close friends. Jane now hopes to start a fundraising campaign and plans are being drawn up for a skydive in April next year. She said: “Almost everyone had their photo taken in front of the banner, it was very successful and well-received. We also released lanterns in Nic’s memory.”

Nicholas was stabbed to death by homeless alcoholic Mark Haylock during a row in a Boscombe flat in April last year.

Haylock was jailed for eight years and, after his trial, it was revealed that he had a previous conviction for a knife-related offence which was not disclosed to the jury. Jane is campaigning to ensure such offences are revealed.