Redbridge mothers are being given the opportunity to help their children break free of gang life through Big Lottery funding.

The Redbridge Education & Social Welfare Support Group, known as Awaaz, was awarded �10,000 yesterday, one of 73 London projects sharing �626,874.

Project leader Bushra Tahir was inspired to set up monthly sessions for mothers after seeing two teenagers stabbed in the area.

The money will fund 12 sessions to help mothers deal with their children’s involvement in gang crime.

Although primarily a women’s group, fathers are also being encouraged to take part in the project.

Mrs Tahir said: “We put our heads together to come up with a way we could do something about the issue of gang violence, something which causes so much senseless misery.

“It is the parents that suffer the most, whether it is the victim’s mother who doesn’t get to see her child grow up or the mother whose child is sent to prison. “Thanks to this award from the Big Lottery Fund we can help these women to break the grip that gangs can take on their sons’ and daughters’ lives.”