You never think it's going to happen to you, but it can...

LEANNE Bird has bravely opened her heart to the Mail and said she fully supported the newspaper’s Safer Burton campaign.

She says she wants her children to grow up knowing that something positive came from the tragic death of her fiance, their dad.

Leanne said: “I fully back the Mail’s campaign as I know how it feels to lose someone close because of a knife.

“You never think it’s going to happen to you and it’s beyond shocking when it does.

“I think Safer Burton is a fantastic idea to try to prevent anyone having to go through what I and Connor’s family did.

“I want as many people as possible to get on board and support us with it.

“This is something for people of all ages, to improve Burton and its nightlife.

“People don’t necessarily feel scared on a night out here, but more could be done to reassure them.

“I’m glad the Mail is making a stand and doing something about issues which need highlighting.”

Leanne said she felt people needed educating about knife crime and claimed more needed to be done to prevent anyone else’s life being cruelly cut short in the way that Connor’s was.

She said: “I think education is the way forward — not just for children, but for adults as well.

“The man who killed Connor was 46 years old and he should have been setting an example to the youth of today.

“People need to know that it’s wrong to carry a knife and that they will not get away with it if they’re caught with one.”