‘WE can’t let him die in vain’.

That is the message from Runcorn residents who are campaigning to rid the town’s streets of knives following the murder of 18-year-old Eddie O’Rourke.

The teenager was fatally stabbed at an 18th birthday party at Halton Royal British Legion on the evening of Friday, September 7.

Since then, thousands of residents have joined campaign groups with the aim of tackling knife crime in Halton.

Louis Bamber set up the Live Your Life, Drop the Knife page of Facebook at 7am the morning after Eddie’s death – with the campaign now having gained more than 2,000 members.

The 22-year-old said: “I grew up in Murdishaw, where Eddie was from.

“I watched the kid grow up, and watched him devote his life to his little brother and sister – he absolutely adored them.

“He was a loveable rogue – he was cheeky, but he was polite about it and knew the boundaries.

“Eddie was a good lad who had respect, and that’s why it’s rocked Runcorn so much – he wasn’t involved in anything, he just loved his motorbike.

“The reason we started this is because we can’t let any more kids die or any more kids be killing kids – not just in Halton, but the whole of the UK.

“We can’t let Eddie die in vain, and we need other kids to realise that this type of crime will not be tolerated.

“Knife crime just keeps rising, and we all want to make our streets safer again.

“Pensioners are scared to go out of their house after 3pm – they shouldn’t have to live like that.”

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Louis Bamber

In less than two weeks since Eddie’s death, the campaign has blossomed – aiming to run activities for teenagers to get them off the street, offer them first aid training and set up knife amnesty bins.

Louis, who lives in Runcorn Old Town, added: “The root cause of it all is that the kids have nothing to do in Runcorn – there are more than 50,000 people who live here and we have one youth centre.

“Fifteen and 16-year-old kids don’t want to go and sit on a swing in a park, we need stuff for them to do.

“That’s why we’ve started this campaign – to get these kids off the streets and find what makes them tick.

“I’ve worked quite closely with Eddie’s family, and they want to be able to raise enough money to be able to buy a piece of land to turn into a motorbike track.

“In memory of Eddie, that’s what the family wants.

“We’re not saying that we will fully eradicate knife crime – because that is more or less impossible – but we need the backing of every parent in Halton because we can’t let this happen again.”

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Eddie O'Rourke

Steve Collinson, from Weston Point, has also gained hundreds of members on his Lives Without Knives group on Facebook.

The 49-year-old said: “If the campaign can reach out to even a handful of those kids and bring them back into the light then it’s worth the time and effort.

“The problem has become an epidemic.

“I remember when it was something that seemed to be an abundant occurrence in Glasgow and some parts of London.

“Unfortunately, that epidemic has now spread a lot closer to home and is seemingly escalating.

“I’m hoping to reach these kids and tell them that they can step away from the pack mentality and any encouragement into violence they’re coerced into.

“I’m trying to tell them that their actions will ultimately map out the rest of their lives and it won’t be a good outcome for them.”

Steve is hoping to reach teenagers through boxing and mixed martial arts, which will help to ‘channel their energies and aggressions’.

He added: “It was something that I and a lot of my friends engaged in when we were young.

“It was a better use of our time than hanging around the local shops, up to no good – none of us ended up in prison, that’s for sure.

“Parents can tackle the knife problem by talking to their children, asking them if they’ve been coerced into being drawn into this culture and warning them to stay clear of such corrupting individuals and those circles of people.

“More importantly, the government needs to sit up in their seats and take a harder stance on the matter.

“We all need to communicate to these kids that they do have a choice, and they can step away from this culture that will ultimately destroy their lives.

“Put down the knives and lead respectable and rewarding lives, as opposed to a dead-ended life.”

On Saturday, September 15, hundreds of family and friends attended a balloon launch in Eddie’s memory in the area known as Mini Wembley – on Stockham Playing Fields – before convening at the Halton Village social club where he was killed.

Meanwhile, two teenagers have appeared before court charged with murder in connection with his death.

A 15-year-old and 17-year-old – who cannot be named for legal reasons – will next appear before Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, October 9.

They are expected to enter their pleas on that date, with a provisional trial date set for February next year.

Another teenager, aged 16, who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has since been released pending further investigations.