Penistone domestic abuse campaigner: 'I've pushed myself to breaking point reliving everything'

Claire Throssell MBE says her new book will go into detail around coping with grief & domestic abuse

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 28th Apr 2025

A Penistone woman - who lost her two sons over a decade ago at the hands of her abusive partner - is aiming to help 'grieving' parents.

12-year-old Jack & 9-year-old Paul Sykes - died in a house fire in 2014 started by their dad - Darren Sykes - who also passed away.

Claire Throssell MBE has just finished writing a book about how it's affected her - she hopes it'll help others:

"To write a book as honest and as open as I've been with this one about my experience of domestic abuse takes a lot out of you.

"There is no book out there that tells you how to live without your children.

"Now I know why that is - there have been times when I've been writing this and I couldn't see what I was jotting down because of the tears.

"It's been incredibly difficult to write.

"If it saves a life or makes a difference to just one person, then it will have been worth all the tears and almost reaching breaking point for.

"It will help a lot of people who feel trapped in domestic abuse, but it will also help all the grieving parents with coping mechanisms on how to live without your children - as hard as it may be."

Last year, Claire handed in a petition at Downing Street - which had been signed by over 100,000 - in a bid to change the law around 'unsafe child contact'.

Her book is set to be released in October this year.

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