Knife Angel creators to mark sculpture's visits with plaques
The creators of the Knife Angel, a statue made of used blades, are presenting civic plaques to cities and towns that sign up to an ongoing charter and pledge to continue cracking down on violence in their communities.
The civic plaques require communities, which host a visit by the sculpture that was created by the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, to pledge to continue the hard work to help educate and stamp out violence.
Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironworks Centre and Shropshire Sculpture Park, said: "These civic plaques will have immense meaning.
"We are the main organising team behind the national anti-violence educational campaign.
"The Knife Angel is touring the country and as it moves around each city or town they will be asked to agree to commit to an ongoing charter against violence, pledging year-on-year to improve and upgrade their efforts to reduce violence in their areas.
"The Knife Angel is set to become the UK's most famous statue as it will have travelled around the whole of the UK and it was born here in Shropshire.
"This has not only become a national monument but part of a national educational programme.
"Now cities and towns are embracing the charter to commit to the ongoing work they are doing.
"The plaques, which will be installed on main civic buildings, will not automatically be renewable and cities and towns who host the Knife Angel for 30 days will have to pledge to work continuously and lend the same amount of effort afterwards to reducing violence.
"This will be reviewed every 12 months to see if they are deserving of a plaque by undertaking the charter and working year-on-year to do this.
"They do not get to keep the plaques if they cannot show their continued commitment.
"To date we have six that have signed a pledge and these include Worcester, Stoke-on-Trent, Northampton, Aberystwyth, Birkenhead and Cardiff.
"The Knife Angel will not visit cities or towns which do not commit to the charter."
So far the sculpture, which was completed in 2017 and is made up of 100,000 used blades, has visited 20 towns and cities.
It is currently at Worcester Cathedral and a civic plaque is to be presented to the city on March 26.
