The touring Knife Angel is coming to Leeds this February, to send a powerful message and spark conversations about knife crime in the city.
The Knife Angel, standing tall at 27ft and made from over 100,000 seized blades, was created by the British Ironwork Centre to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour and the need for change.
Featuring messages from families of victims of knife crime, it also acts as a striking memorial designed to celebrate those lives who have been lost.
The poignant sculpture will be placed outside the Royal Armouries Museum as part of an intensification month on knife crime which launches on Thursday 1 February 2024.
As part of the city’s continued response to serious youth violence a free programme of learning opportunities will be running throughout the month.
To engage young people, secondary schools have been given the opportunity to book in for specialist learning sessions at the Royal Armouries Museum, supported by the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership.
Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for resources with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said: “Although the rates of knife crime have been falling, it remains a serious issue and has a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities.
“We’re looking forward to hosting the Knife Angel sculpture during February, both as a monument to lives we’ve tragically lost, and as a force to help reinforce the work we’ve been doing around how we can change these behaviours as quickly as possible.
“As a city we take knife crime and violence in general very seriously and it’s something we and our partners work hard to address with young people and their parents or guardians. We’d like to encourage everyone to come down and see the sculpture for themselves and not be afraid to speak to each other about these issues.”
Find out more here at the Official Knife Angel website page.
Featured image – Leeds City Council
