A support hub has opened in East Yorkshire to raise awareness of the harm done by one punch attacks.
A walk-in centre in the Princes Quay shopping centre was established by a charity set up after Scott Akester, 31, died following an attack outside a pub in the city on 19 November 2022.
The father-of-one was killed on a night out with friends which his family say “changed our lives forever”.
His mother, Debbie Akester, 59, said: “That decision to turn off his life support machine the next day was horrendous to have to go through as a family and all this was caused because of that one punch being thrown.”
Mr Akester’s parents set up the one Punch Hull and East Yorkshire charity in 2023 to raise awareness of the harm done by violence, by delivering educational talks in schools and supporting people in similar circumstances.
From January the new hub will provide a space to host workshops and activities for visitors to get involved with.
“He was a real peoples person who really enjoyed meeting people,” his mother said.
“He had lots of friends and we didn’t realise how popular he was until we lost him”.
The charity’s motto is Stop-Think-Walk Away.
Mrs Akester said: “If you get yourself into that situation where you feel intimidated or you think you’re gonna get involved in a fight, then just stop for one second and think about our story and then walk away.”