This week’s Dying for a Cuppa® is a powerful one.

I’m joined by Martin Cosser, Dad, Founder and CEO of Charlie’s Promise, a charity created in memory of his 17-year-old son, Charlie, whose life was tragically taken following a knife attack in 2023.

Martin shares Charlie’s story with extraordinary openness. The events that changed his family’s lives forever, the unimaginable reality of losing his son, and the promise he made to Charlie while he was fighting for his life: to do everything he could to raise awareness of knife crime and its devastating impact.

That promise became Charlie’s Promise.

This is an intense and deeply emotional conversation. At times, it is a hard listen but it is an incredibly important one.

We also talk about the work Martin is doing now to educate young people and create change, including Charlie’s Promise’s work alongside Fearless, the youth service of Crimestoppers, giving young people a safe and completely anonymous way to speak up about crime.

Please take some time to find out more about Charlie’s Promise, follow their work and share their message.

https://www.charliespromise.org/

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless

And for this episode, you might want to grab yourself an extra strong cuppa.

This is Charlie’s story. And this is the promise his dad continues to keep.

Martin, alongside his wife, Tara, has now dedicated his life to educating young people about the devastating consequences of knife crime, speaking in schools, colleges and communities across the UK.

Through Charlie's Promise, Martin has now reached more than 117,000 young people with a message of hope, prevention and positive change.

Martin said he was deeply grateful for the opportunity to join Katie's podcast to share Charlie's story, reflect on the family's journey and talk about the work being done to create a safer future for young people.

https://www.charliespromise.org/

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless

Huge thanks to Match and Dispatch - Outstanding celebrant training for supporting this episode

⁠https://matchanddispatch.com/⁠

© 2026 Katie Costello. Dying for a Cuppa® is a registered trademark of Katie Costello. All rights reserved.

This podcast and its content, including audio recordings, descriptions, and associated materials, are protected by copyright. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organisations. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, legal, or medical advice.