00:00Kind, caring and friendly. Those just some of the words used to describe Ashley Jones,
00:08the father of four who was fatally stabbed in Ramsgate at the end of August.
00:13Today we remember Ashley. We give thanks for the life he lived, for the people who knew him,
00:20for friendship shared, for kindness given and for all those memories which belong
00:25uniquely to those who loved him. Family, friends and members of Ramsgate's community came together
00:32with balloons and flowers, lighting candles and holding a minute's silence to remember Ashley.
00:38Emotions were understandably high here in Ramsgate Town Centre. Lots of tears,
00:44hugging but also a real sense of the community coming together to remember the man they loved.
00:51Tragedy can make us afraid of one another but it can also remind us how much we need one another.
00:57Today we choose to stand together, neighbour beside neighbour, friend beside stranger. Amen.
01:05Ashley was pronounced dead in the early hours of the morning on the 23rd of August,
01:10after he and another victim were stabbed in Ramsgate's harbour area. Kieran O'Rourke,
01:17a 21-year-old Ramsgate local has since been charged with Ashley's murder.
01:22Ashley was more than the circumstances in which he died. He was a person, a father, a friend,
01:31a member of our community, a man whose life mattered. And his death shocked the whole community here.
01:40But I think I just want people to know that as a community in Ramsgate, we stand together.
01:46You know, we all believe that we are here for each other.
01:50And for many in the community, Ashley's death has increased fears around knife crime.
01:56And as we've seen today, there has been such a big support to come and say goodbye to Ashley
02:01and recognise just how awful his death was. Recognise the impact that it's had upon many other
02:09people, those who are also involved. And I think our whole community, that fear that knife crime
02:14continues and people are dying in our streets. A father and a friend, those who knew Ashley
02:21continue to mourn his loss. Sophie Denny for KMTV in Ramsgate.
02:27She's a lot of good experience.
02:27Let's get started.
