Interview: Adam Fouracre, founder of Stand Against Violence

He was woken in the middle of the night by a phone call from his father.

Adam had no idea of the tragic nature of the information his father was about to pass on.

“I was pretty numb, not feeling alert,” said Adam.

“My dad said, ‘Lloyd [Adam’s brother] has been attacked and is dead.’

“I didn’t know what to think or feel.

“It was a bizarre feeling, unreal.”

Two drunken thugs had beaten and stamped on Lloyd outside Taunton Vale Sports Club, in Gypsy Lane.

The unprovoked attack that devastated his family and shocked the community was carried out on the eve of Lloyd’s 18th birthday.

Referring to the two culprits, Adam, whose gentle manner is in stark contrast to the killers’, said: “I didn’t really give them much thought.

“I didn’t know them.

"I only saw a photo of them in the paper.

“I was just indirectly affected.

“It’s easier to feel feelings towards another person if they’ve been killed in front of you.

“If you weren’t there and your brother isn’t coming back, you’re one step removed.

“I felt angry with the justice system, with the fact this was able to happen.

“The injustice that we live in, in what should be a safe, first world country, but here in Taunton my brother has lost his life.”

The horrendous murder inspired Adam to set up the charity Stand Against Violence (SAV), which runs workshops, assemblies and resources in schools and youth groups to help young people manage conflict and understand the consequences of aggression.

Adam met one of the murderers, who agreed to take part in a number of interviews for use by SAV.

“Until then, the offenders’ side was all guesswork,” added Adam.

“But he was very balanced, not the person I expected him to be.

“The other one says he can’t remember.

"I’m not prepared to meet him.

"Why would I?”

In more recent years, Adam has stepped back from SAV.

He added: “I was aware that I didn’t have as much time as I needed to dedicate to the charity.

“I always thought my life would move in a different direction.

“I kept the charity going and recruited a number of people, eventually finding someone to develop into the chief executive.

“She’s a fantastic, capable and passionate person and I’ve been able to step back pretty much completely - I’m only CEO in name and really just a trustee.”

Lloyd’s death was a million miles from the brothers’ happy upbringing on the Quantock Hills.

Following Adam’s education at Kingston St Mary Primary School, Heathfield Community School, and briefly Richard Huish College, he worked for a year at The Odeon cinema at Hankridge.

He then decided to move into healthcare and studied for a diploma through the University of Plymouth at Somerset College, combined with training at Musgrove Park Hospital.

Adam then had two jobs at Musgrove, caring for the elderly and in surgical admissions, followed by working in the minor injury units at Glastonbury and Shelton Mallet.

He went on to self-fund a nurse practitioner course at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

After completing more modules while based in an urgent care centre in Bath, he returned to Musgrove to complete his master's through his clinical practitioner training in A&E.

Then it was back to Bath as an advanced clinical practitioner in primary care.

More recently, Adam, who is now 40, began working in aesthetics, administering treatments such as botox fillers.

The idea came to him as he faced a personal crisis.

“I had a hair transplant - that’s the only work I’ve had done,” he said.

“But it made me think about going into aesthetics.

“I was married and got divorced three years ago and had become quite overweight.

“I focused a lot on trying to improve my mental and physical health.

“I lost a lot of weight, felt better about myself, and had more confidence.

“I was always a bit judgemental of aesthetics, but when you’ve put all the effort in, and something’s holding you back, if there’s a solution, why not do it?

“Sagging skin, aged skin, people worried about their image. I can help with that.

“I’m also able to give weight loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.”

Adam is not currently in a relationship as he tries to focus on self-development.

One of his aims is to grow his business, ElevateYou Aesthetics, which runs clinics in Bath and Taunton.

He is also learning Greek and plans to travel more widely.

He looks trim thanks to a healthy lifestyle, which includes hitting the gym, and is running the Bath Half Marathon next year to raise funds for SAV.