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Balloons released in memory of murdered teenagers

Maisie Lillywhite & Jules Hyam
BBC News, Bristol
BBC A large crowd gathers in the field of a community centre as they let balloons - mostly red, silver, and blue - into the sky at dusk on a February eveningBBC
Dozens of colourful balloons were sent into the sky by the family and friends of Max Dixon and Mason Rist

Balloons brightened the skies above Bristol on Sunday as people gathered to celebrate the lives of two teenagers, a year on from their murder.

Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were stabbed outside Mason's home in Knowle West on 27 January 2024 by four teenagers, in a case of mistaken identity.

Those who gathered at The Park Centre in Knowle at sunset on Sunday let off balloons with messages for the best friends and wishes for a better future.

Leanne Ekland, Max's mum, said the "amazing" support the families have received since the boys' deaths has made things "a little bit easier".

Two women, an older woman with short grey hair and a middle aged woman with long blonde hair, stand next to each other with light grey coats on, as people gather behind them to let off balloons. The older woman is carrying a coffee cup.
Gail Iles, Mason's grandmother, and Nikki Knight, Mason's mum, were both at the balloon launch

On Saturday, trees were planted in memory of Max and Mason, and their school, Oasis Academy, also paid tribute to them, Mason's mum, Nikki Knight, told the BBC.

"It's still fresh, something you never get over," she said.

"Unfortunately, the incident was outside my house... I'm still in the house.

"It's very traumatic being there."

PA Media Two teenage boys sit on a sofa together, playing on a games console with controllers in their hands as they lean forward to focusPA Media
Mason (left) and Max (right) were going to get pizza together when they were fatally stabbed

Five people – Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi-Shai Wescott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16 who cannot be named due to their age – were detained for life in November and December for the murders.

Bailey Wescott, 23, of Whitchurch, and Jamie Ogbourne, 27, of Hartcliffe, were also jailed in December for five years and three months after each admitting two counts of assisting an offender.

Marcus Williams, 31, from Hartcliffe, along with Dominic Smith and Ellie Maddocks, both 25 and living in Westbury-on-Trym, appeared before Bristol Magistrates' Court on 7 January, accused of helping three of the killers by driving them to an unknown address.

They will appear at Bristol Crown Court on 10 February.

A mum and her young adult daughter both smile at the camera. They are both wearing coats as they stand on a field at a community centre, with a crowd behind them.
Max's mum and sister were among those at the gathering on Sunday

Max's mum, Leanne Ekland, said the support of the community had "really helped" her family in the wake of the boys' deaths.

"There's no answers, there's no closure for us but hopefully we can turn this awful negativity into a huge positive and let Max and Mason's name live on in a good way, instead of the way they were taken away from us," Ms Eckland said.

A woman standing on a field at sunset as part of a gathering of people holds a red heart shaped balloon which reads "RIP to all families affected by knife crime. You are also in our thoughts. Time for change".
Messages of remembrance and calls for change were written on the balloons before they were released into the sky

Kayleigh Dixon, Max's sister, said it was nice to see young people at the gathering.

"I just hope that they take all this in and they make a change because it starts with us, it starts at home," she said.

"If it wasn't for the community support, like mum said, I don't think any of us would have been able to get through it."

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