'Stop, think and walk away', County Durham mum's campaign to reduce violence this Christmas

• Report by Kris Jepson

The mother of a County Durham man, who died in 2011 months after being assaulted in a Consett nightclub, has called on people to avoid using violence during the festive party season.

Maxine Thompson-Curl, mother of Kristian Thompson, is the CEO of One Punch UK and has launched the Punch Out Cold campaign which is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers and consequences one punch can cause.

She told ITV News Tyne Tees: "We just say ‘stop, think and walk away’. Stop what you’re doing. Think about what you’re going to do and walk away and your actions and consequences. You know, go out and have a glass of wine or a beer, nothing nicer, enjoy that with your friends, but know your limitations and don’t damage and destroy somebody’s life the way that my life has been destroyed."

The charity has been operating for nine years following the death of Kristian. His mum said he was punched just once during an assault and months later he passed away.

She said a poster that highlights the consequences of what one punch can do has been viewed 3.9 million times online in 2021 and she wants to build on her son's legacy.

She added: "Hopefully wherever he is and he’s looking down, maybe he’ll be thinking, yeh, you’re doing alright mam. You’re doing the best thing, because I don’t want this to happen to any other family."

Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary have backed the campaign as they gear up for the busiest night of the year, dubbed 'Black Eye Friday'. Campaigners warn the festive period always brings a spike in assaults and incidents, so the police said raising awareness is vital.

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron of Northumbria Police told ITV News: "When it comes to violence and things like the night time economy and just generally some of the violence that we do see in the communities, you know, our message is clear, please, we want families to sit and talk to their children and to their wider family about the violence and about the actions that they are taking and we want people to just stop and think about what they are doing before they do it."

Trustee of One Punch UK, former police sergeant Mick Urwin, said educating young people about the impact violence can have on individuals and their families is key to preventing it.

He said: "When you see Maxine deliver those talks and deliver her experience in schools, prisons, colleges, you can see the impact that it has on those who listen to it, so we hope from these campaigns that continues and that it increases so that Maxine gets that story out and the awareness is raised across the board."