Southport survivor Leanne Lucas makes heartfelt plea for this one simple change

Southport survivor Leanne Lucas admitted she doesn’t know where her strength to campaign comes from.

The yoga teacher, 36, helped several children run to safety despite being stabbed five times by monster Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.

But Ms Lucas is now devoting her time and energy to campaigning to end the heartbreak of knife crime and the devastating impact it has on families and communities across the UK.

The primary school teacher wants adults across the country to switch to using rounded, or blunted, knives in their kitchens.

This, she says, would remove the most dangerous parts of weapons in every home in the country.

Declaring her mission, Ms Lucas told the Daily Express: “Every minute we wait, there are more and more opportunities for people to pick up something domestic in their home and use it as a weapon.”

Yoga instructor Leanne added: “What happened to us in the Summer was devastating and quite frankly shocking.

“That’s one of the things that is spoken about the most – you just don’t know who it is going to happen to and you don’t know when it is going to happen.

“Launching this now is poignant really because we are saying we are not going to wait for a law to come through.

“We are not going to wait for the next scheme to be put in place.

“We can all take action ourselves without anyone really telling us what to do.”

Leanne admitted she hasn’t cooked since the atrocity last Summer and even felt “afraid” in her own kitchen.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed in the attack in July. Ten others, including Ms Lucas, were injured.

Speaking to the Daily Express in the House of Commons, ahead of an emotional address at an event which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was due to attend, Leanne said she is still processing her new role as a knife crime campaigner.

Asked how she found the strength to become a campaigner, Ms Lucas said: “I’m not sure to be honest. But that is something that I am going to take into account when I meet campaigners and people who are behind very similar charities and organisations.

“We all have something in common. We all have this inner-drive, motivation and passion. There’s that empathy there. That’s something I am trying to learn. The only thing I can really think of is, my line of work was to work with children.

“I loved working with kids. The last thing I would have wanted was this to happen. Because it has happened, and it’s part of the story, I can’t un-see that. I can’t let those lives be lost in vain.

“What happened was truly horrendous. We need to make sure something positive comes out of it to prevent more families going through the same heartache our community has."

She added: "The horrific events in Southport on the 29th of July 2024 changed my life forever. The pain and heartbreak that the families involved have had to endure is unimaginable.

“I will not let evil win. I need to know that I'm doing this for the girls, for myself and for future generations.”

Campaigners said 262 people were stabbed to death last year. Kitchen knives were used in 42% of these cases. Leanne’s “Let’s be Blunt” campaign is urging householders, retailers and manufacturers to switch to rounded blades.

She added: “The main thing for me is getting people talking and getting people open to the fact, there are safer options available, we’ve never discussed how people feel about seeing this kitchen knife in our house. Households can decide how they talk about it – how they action it. But it is their choice.

“One person can take action into his own hands and create this horrendous thing. But good people can take action into their own hands and create goodness.”

Patrick Green, from the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: "With blunted knives we're removing the opportunity, the impulsivity.

"Blunted knives would make things safer for everyone, and it's something the public can adopt right now.

"We don't need to wait for legislation, I expect a lot of people don't know that you can actually buy these knives now."

Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson: “We have been clear nothing is off the table when it comes to getting lethal blades off our streets and keeping people safe.

"We are actively exploring options and pursuing changes in this area, and I will be meeting with retailers and manufacturers to develop next steps on the promotion of rounded tipped knives.

“Our mission to halve knife crime over a decade will be delivered through tougher enforcement and stronger prevention.

“We cannot do this alone, which is why we formed the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime as a platform for genuine collaboration, so that together we can tackle the scourge of serious violence and save young lives.”

Leanne had been excited when her advert for a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the start of the summer 2024 school holidays got a keen reception from local parents.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Pye told the Daily Express afterwards how Leanne's advert was innocently posted on 7th July 2024, with herself and friend Heidi Liddle running the fun morning activity class.

It was due to be held between 10am and noon at The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside, on 29th July and all 26 places were sold out within 11 days.

Det Chief Supt Pye added: "Monday was a beautiful, sunny morning when the children arrived in T shirts, shorts, summer clothes. They were looking forward to a fun day.

"They were seen running to the entrance with excitement. The 26 children were dropped off by their parents for 10am. Photographs taken by Leanne Lucas show the girls were enjoying themselves."