Dad of murdered Elle Edwards says he wants her name to be spoken 'every single day'

Report by Granada Reports journalist Claire Hannah

The dad of Elle Edwards has vowed to keep her name alive by setting up a foundation in her memory to help other families who lose loved ones to gun and knife crime.

Elle, 26, died after she was shot outside the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve 2022.

She was an innocent bystander caught up in the middle of a row between rival gangs.

The man who killed her was jailed for life and will serve at least 48 years.

Tim Edwards is now vowing to make something positive out of Elle's death, by creating a foundation in her name which will provide help and support to other families who find themselves in the same unimaginable situation.

Tim said: "Rather than it be about prevention we're going to focus more on support, so in effect, help for people who've gone through what we've gone through because it's something I can relate to.

"People that end up in that position, you look for someone you can relate to and the only one who can is people who've been through that".

Tim said the foundation is still in its early stages but it will include access to therapy, and his main aim is to make it fun and happy to reflect Elle's personality.

"I don't want it to be doom and gloom," he said. "It's obviously a very intense subject, but it doesn't always have to be hard.

For me, counselling didn't work, that doesn't mean it doesn't work for other people, but we'll be looking at other ways to support people too."

"We're going to try and make it enjoyable for people. Elle was always happy, she'd light up a room, so I want it to be uplifting, because at the end of the day [it's] laughter and if you're smiling, you're having a good day aren't you?"

One big thing which helped Tim after Elle's murder and in the lead up to the trial was walking.

In February he joined up with Liverpool comedian and actor John May who had already set off on a walk from Land's End to John O'Groats.

John had his own reasons for doing this walk, he'd sold his business and was documenting his progress on social media.

Tim messaged him a few times to ask could he join him so they met up in Worcester 'for a couple of days'.

Three months later the pair had reached John O'Groats together, and become friends for life.

Now, Tim has said he needs to complete the walk so he can say he has done Land's End to John O'Groats.

The walk will also be raising awareness and money for the Elle Edwards Foundation.

On Monday 7 August Tim will be setting off from Worcester and walking the 250 miles to Land's End, but he won't be on his own, John will be with him.

John said: "Tim was always saying 'we'll do another one' and I told him at John O'Groats I wasn't doing anymore, and he murmured under his breath 'we'll see'.

"I saw him at court after the trial and he said 'I keep looking at my statue and it says Land's End to John O'Groats and I haven't done it, so you're coming with me."

Incredibly, along with forging a friendship for life, Tim and John share the same birthday, the 24 August, which is the date they are hoping to end their walk at Land's End.

You can follow their journey here.

Tim and John came into the Granada Reports studio to speak to Gamal and Elaine about their unlikely friendship.