WITH the rising tide of youth knife crime it is easy to forget there are people out there, of all ages, who are working hard to tackle the problem.
Walthamstow youth worker Simon Somerville attempts to steer young people away from crime by encouraging them to take up positive activities.
He was taking his own son and six other youths to one such event when they were attacked by a street gang.
Mr Somerville bravely put himself between the two groups and was stabbed 14 times, narrowly avoiding death.
It would be expected that a person going through such an ordeal would seriously consider giving up youth work for fear of further attacks.
But not only has Mr Somerville vowed to carry on, he has said he feels no animosity towards his attackers and wants to work with them.
Mr Somerville not only deserves praise for his extraordinary bravery, but also for his attitude towards his attackers.
Many people would have responded by aggressively demanding justice or retreating into a shell.
But Mr Somerville knows he is just one of hundreds of victims across the capital each year, and that he is better-placed than many to help tackle the problem.
Like Walthamstow youth pastor Dez Brown, who was jailed for manslaughter before turning his life around, Mr Somerville can use his own traumatic experiences to teach youths about the dangers of carrying knives.
Knife culture is notoriously difficult to conquer, but with the likes of people like Mr Somerville working to tackle the problem, we have a chance of succeeding.
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