FIVE years ago, 10-year-old Callum Dickerson saw a boy collapse on the ground after being stabbed in the leg.

He continues to have flashbacks to the incident and his sister is still traumatised from witnessing the scene.

Now Callum is one of several children being educated on the causes and consequences of knife crime by a new Anti-Knife Project which has launched in Greater Leys.

Rory Campbell and Kymel Austin set up the Urban Music Foundation last year to encourage young people to channel their energy into music and new interests.

But they felt compelled to run an Anti-Knife Project for 10 to 13-year-olds after becoming concerned about increasing numbers of people carrying knives on the estate.

The pair also want to build a resource pack for schools and youth groups to raise awareness of knife crime.

Callum, 10, of Jack Argent Close, Greater Leys, vividly remembers the stabbing outside a local shop one Sunday afternoon.

He was with his mother, Anne Marie, and sister Caitlin, now 12, as the three had gone to buy sweets.

He said: “I was crying and my mum was trying to help him. He was about 10. He just dropped on to the floor with this knife sticking out his leg. It was gross and I saw the blood.”

His mother said: “It’s traumatised my daughter so much that she doesn’t even want to speak about knives or see newspaper reports.

“The reason why I’m so positive about Callum attending the workshop was to explore the impact knife crime has on our society and the devastation that it causes to families.

“It offers him an outlet to talk about that situation all those years ago.”

The youngsters have studied the history of knife crime, played board games and learned about the penalties involved in carrying knives.

Another 10-year-old, who could not be named, said he knew people who carried knives living close to him.

He said: “We know that you shouldn’t carry knives because you can kill people and get arrested.”

Mr Austin, 22, of Merlin Road, Blackbird Leys, said: “Hopefully if they ever get confronted with a knife in the future they can think back to these sessions and think of the consequences.”

Mr Campbell, 26, of Mole Place, Greater Leys, said: “There are a lot of young people round here who are on the wrong track and I think help is limited. Without help it could get a lot worse.

“I have been hearing stories of people having knives pulled out on them round here and it seems like more and more people are now carrying knives. It’s more part of the culture than before.”

The project is funded by the Adult and Family Learning at Oxfordshire County Council and Starlight Community Project.

The next in a series of weekly meetings takes place on Thursday at the Leys News Office in Kingfisher Green, Greater Leys between 4pm and 5.30pm.