The Messenger was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Pat Regan, who set up Mother's Against Violence in Leeds following the death of her son. Pat was stabbed and killed at her home in Leeds on Sunday night.
Pat visited Burngreave on a number of occasions after the death of Jonathan Matondo, to offer her support to our community. Most memorably at the public meeting at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the week following Jonathan's death.
Speaking from her own experience of losing her son to gun crime, she told the meeting:
“The problem is the gun. We need to stop the negativity, we have to get together as adults, if we can't do it how can the young do it? Patrol the streets if you have to. Let the community know we are not going to bury any more young people.”
Pat campaigned nationally to stop the rise of gun crime amongst young people. Her message was one of the community taking a active role in finding the solutions to the problem of violence.
It is a great loss. No-doubt without Pat's work more young lives would have been lost.