The mother of a Kingston man who was fatally stabbed last year has opened up about her struggle to be heard, as a charity football match is organised in his memory.

Sophie Kafeero's son, Derick Mulondo, was stabbed to death in June 2017 by his ex-girlfriend, Shauna Doyle. He was just 38 years old and had a teenage son.

Since his death, friends and family of Mr Mulondo have started a campaign to end knife crime in the UK, called 'Drop a Knife, Save a Life'.

After parading with banners and leaflets at the Kingston Carnival in September 2017, the campaign gained a lot of support.

"It was taken on board very positively. It was very, very good," Ms Kafeero told the Surrey Comet.

However, since the success of the carnival, she has described the difficulty in continuing with the campaign due to grief over her son.

"I was burnt out," she said.

"I couldn't continue and we didn't have any funding. We needed a break. I could see people were weary and worn out."

After taking time to grieve for her son, Ms Kafeero and her son's friends are now campaigning once again, and have applied for a charity number to secure 'Drop a Knife, Save a Life'.

Mr Mulondo's friend, Annmarie Tomlin, has helped to organise a charity football match to be held in his memory on June 9 at Fairfield Park in Kingston.

The match will see children and prominent members of the community - including police community support officers - come together to play and raise money for the campaign one year after Mr Mulondo died.

A football enthusiast and coach for children for two years, campaigners say it is important to make sure children are involved in the match itself.

Since Mr Mulondo's death, his mother has spoken in Parliament about knife crime, to discuss what the community can do to tackle violence at a grassroots level.

She told the Comet she is particularly concerned about the number of black people who are victims of knife crime, and worries that the lack of police officers on the streets is driving violence up.

"It is every mother's worst nightmare to get that knock on the door, to be told their son has been stabbed to death," Ms Kafeero said through tears.

"That changed my life. He was my only child."

Despite her grief, she added she is determined to continue with campaigning in her son's memory.

"For the sake of my son, I need to do it. Even if I can change the life of one person. My son will never walk the streets again."

As the preparations for the match get underway, Ms Kafeero says: "I feel energised again, and there is going to be a lot of momentum now."