TODAY is the tenth anniversary of the death of 24-year-old Adam Rogers. He died from a single punch on a night out in Blackburn. BILL JACOBS talks to his parents about love, loss and the charity Every Action Has Consequences they set up in his memory.

THIS morning Dave and Pat Rogers are heading up to the Lake District to meet dozens of their son’s friends to mark his death as they have done every anniversary.

It will be a ‘bittersweet’ experience for them.

The annual weekend in Coniston always brings back the agony of the night they lost him in 2009 but reminds them of the love and friendship he inspired in those around him.

It will also be a chance for Dave and Pat to reflect on the work they have done to try to stop other families suffering the same pain they did after a single punch from teenager William Upton felled and killed Adam as he tried to stop a street fight in Blackburn town centre.

Mrs Rogers, 67, said: “We have done it every year since his death.

“The first time 60 of his friends turned up and camped and at least 20 have come every time since.

“We are expecting more than 50 this weekend.

“It is a bittersweet weekend.

“The pain is strong and never goes away so it’s always very poignant.

“It shows how much his friends loved him but they are all getting married and having children which is what Adam should have been doing but never will.

“He was such a popular, positive and well-liked young man.”

Mr Rogers, 86, said: “It’s such a tragedy to lose someone you love so much.

“The grief never goes away. You just have to learn to manage it.

“We couldn’t just sit on our hands and do nothing so we set up the charity so other families will never go through what we did.

“When I went to meet his killer in prison (under the restorative justice programme), I was angry.

“He apologised to us for the first time and admitted it wasn’t in self-defence.

“It made me realise that if someone had got to him earlier about his anger and drinking, it might not have happened to Adam.”

Mrs Rogers revealed that since Every Action Has Consequences was set up it reached two million people in primary and secondary schools, young offenders institutions, and prisons using a 13-minute film and a special animation for younger children.

The couple, who still live in Dukes Brow in Blackburn, themselves have been in sessions which have involved 160,000 young people.

She said: “It’s difficult to say what effect it has had but the feedback we have received is very positive.

“We’ve heard of cases in primary schools where the children have got into a confrontation and one of their fellow pupils has said ‘Remember Adam’ and defused it.

“My husband has had the same experience on prison visits when people who have done very bad things have been really moved by Adam’s story.

“There was one case where a prisoner came up to him and said: ‘I murdered my wife and I’ve never said sorry to anyone. I just want to say sorry to you now.’

“It about changing people's attitudes and behaviour.”

Mrs Rogers said of her son, the coach of Padiham Ladies Football team: “Every time something good or pleasurable happens we remember Adam and that he’s not there. We’ve been thinking of him particularly during the Women’s World Cup. Adam would have loved it, enjoyed every minute of it.

“He was very passionate about women’s football and would have been very proud of the England team.”

She is also very proud of the fact that Adam’s organs helped five people and that his story is used to help train NHS transplant service staff.

One of the recipients, Mark, who got Adam’s kidneys and pancreas, stayed in touch and has delighted the family by since having two daughters. Mrs Rogers said: “So Adam saved lives in another way.”

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Her husband said the charity, for which one of their other sons Tim works full-time, had two key aims.

He said: “One of the key aims is to warn of the power and danger of alcohol.

“It’s part of everybody’s lives but many young people drink just to get out of it. That’s when these things happen and when young people are vulnerable themselves.

“William Upton was so out of it he couldn’t remember what happened properly or Adam’s last words which I wanted to hear.

“The other is to warn of the danger of anger and the importance of learning to manage it. A combination of alcohol and anger can be catastrophic, a lethal combination.

“These incidents don’t just end or ruin one life, they ruin two and those of all the people around them.”

Mrs Rogers said the recent wave of knife crime had led to them changing some of their material to tackle account of the growing use of blades.

She said: “The rise in knife crime is really alarming. We’ve done a lot of work around that especially in Blackburn, Preston and Blackpool which have the highest figures in Lancashire for offences using a pointed item.

“Violence and fighting is bad enough, and we know one punch can kill, but if someone has a blade in their hand it’s even worse and more dangerous.”

Mrs Rogers adds: “One of the things we talk about is the ripple effect. It doesn’t end with the death of one person but the impact on their family, friends and loved ones. So many people are affected.”

Both parents accept their pain and grief will never go away but believe the work they do has helped ease it for them and hopefully avoid it for others.

Mrs Rogers summed it up for both when she said: “Nothing can make up for the loss of Adam but if other lives can be saved and other families can avoid the pain and grief we’ve been through, that will be a fitting legacy for him. We will know that even though he is gone, he is still making things better for others.”