Charlotte Lawlor’s family at a special event in her honour on Monday

FRIENDS and family gathered on Monday to pay tribute to a 31-year-old woman who died after being stabbed while attending her teenage nephew’s birthday party.

Dozens of flowers and balloons were laid at the spot where Charlotte Lawlor died and relatives remembered the “amazing mother” you could “always rely on”.

Ms Lawlor, from Highbury, was killed in Stepney Green last September. Hope Rowe was sentenced in July to 23 years in prison for her murder.

“Charlotte’s been gone for one year now, but it only feels like it was yesterday that she was taken from us,” said Ms Lawlor’s close friend Ellie Cox.

“Everyone knew how much of an amazing person Charlotte was, but most importantly how much of an amazing mother she was to Riley, her best friend. Their bond is unbreakable.”

 Charlotte Lawlor

Ms Cox added: “Charlotte was someone you could rely on. No matter what she was doing, or where she was, you would know that she would always be there. The most caring and kind-hearted person Charlotte really was.”

Ms Lawlor’s family are now setting up a charity in her honour, with the aim of providing support to children who have lost their parents through knife crime.

Friends and family gather to celebrate Charlotte Lawlor’s life

Charlotte’s mother Tammy spoke of how difficult it was to find support for Charlotte’s 12-year-old son Riley after his mother’s death.

“Due to our experience, we’ve learnt that there isn’t much resources out there for orphaned children,” said her sister Rebecca.

“We want to make a legacy for Charlotte and keep her name alive and we think the best way to do that is by starting a charity to help young orphan children and seek help through music therapy and loads of different resources.”

The family are now looking for people to donate to the charity, Lottie’s Tunes, with the hope that they can set up a music bus and provide therapy for children in a similar situation to Riley.

Tammy told the Tribune: “We want to get Charlotte’s charity out there. We want other children who go through this to have the support they need. There’s nothing out there. The amount of children who are losing their parents to knife crime, they need more support.”