Knife Angel Visits Taunton

Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife

Not a bad message.

Knife Angel, the National Monument against violence and aggression resides in Taunton for the rest of April.

The campaign was born when Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire, Clive Knowles, was troubled by the increasing number of knife crimes reported. Clive felt compelled to find a way to make a difference using his metal working resource and imagination to help highlight this national disgrace.

Working with the Home Office and in collaboration with all 43 British constabularies, Clive funded free knife banks on just one condition: every force would hold an amnesty and all blades collected would be given to the Ironworks in order to create a National Monument Against Violence and Aggression – the Knife Angel.

Hundreds of thousands of weapons were collected, sterilised and blunted ready to form the sculpture to be created by the team led by talented sculptor, Alfie Bradley.

Families who had been devastated by knife crime were invited to engrave their message onto a blade, sharing their stories, and these blades were all welded to the angel's wings.

The sculpture became not only a monument against violence, but also – for many – a memorial.

It is hoped on its tour of the UK the Knife Angel will raise awareness, symbolise intolerance to violence and engage with Britain's youth.

The Knife Angel moves to Weston-Super-Mare for May.

You can read more about it HERE.