'A part of you dies and you don't ever get it back'

Michael and Josh climbed Pen Y Fan together

Michael Hall remembers the moment life changed forever, when he was told to say goodbye to his 17-year-old son before life support machines were turned off.

Joshua Hall was stabbed at least six times after a fight at a sports club in Cam, Gloucestershire.

Mr Hall now plans to climb 14 of the highest peaks in Wales to mark three years since Josh's death.

"You die with your child, a part of you dies and you don't ever get it back," he said.

"I'm always on the verge of feeling desperately unhappy, but you find ways of coping" he explained.

Michael Hall said he can still recall "with absolute clarity the moment that life changed"

Back in April 2021, Michael's son had arranged to meet 15-year-old Harley Demmon and after words were exchanged a two-minute fight ended in Joshua being stabbed with a knife that Demmon had hidden in his waistband.

Demmon was jailed for a minimum of 14 years for Joshua's murder.

In the hours after the attack Mr Hall said he "prayed to switch places" with his son.

The emergency care team said they were no longer "saving his life, but slowing down his death".

It was in that moment that Michael and Josh's mum Kirsty made the difficult decision not to prolong his suffering anymore.

This attack happened in the Cotswold village of Cam, which shook the small community.

Michael said: "On the day of Josh's funeral, people lined the streets for this 17-year-old lad that most of them didn't know, because it could have been them."

Michael said Josh's "favourite part of his little world" was time with his family

Michael and his family have always been "outdoorsy" but since Josh's death, being outside has "played a huge part in coping with the loss".

He has gone on to raise thousands of pounds for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity who treated Joshua on the day he was attacked, giving Michael and his family the vital hours to say goodbye to him.

Michael said he felt "really fortunate, in a strange way that we were gifted those few hours."

In the last year, Michael has climbed a number of mountains and attempted a six-day ultra running challenge across Wales, known as the Dragon's Back Race.

His latest expedition, the Welsh 3,000s, will help raise money for the charities who have supported him, including the men's bereavement charity StrongMen.

"One of the biggest challenges that I found was my sense of purpose, being a dad, being a man disappeared but I have found by helping others it has given me a purpose again."

Michael now provides Man2Man peer support sessions to help others who have suffered a loss

Efrem Brynin is chief executive of the charity and describes the group as a "brotherhood of men that just get it".

He added: "With the backdrop of being on the side of a mountain, people are just much more willing to open up."

Michael now volunteers for the charity to support others.