Shropshire Knife Angel team is honoured for efforts made to stem violent crimes
The Shropshire company behind the Knife Angel sculpture has been presented with an award for its efforts to reach out to youngsters over crime.
Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, was presented with the award after he spoke at the British Youth Council’s recent annual conference at Leicester University.
He talked about the Knife Angel, its important national journey and the ‘Save A Life, Surrender Your Knife’ campaign.
“I talked about the national crisis of violence plaguing the entirety of the UK and also the requirement for every Knife Angel hosting location to commit to undertaking 28 days of intensive anti-violence and anti-aggression educational programmes and workshops for their youth,” he said.
He said that working to empower and support young people aged 25 and under to have an informed voice within their communities, the BYC aim to give youth the confidence to make a difference locally, nationally and internationally.
Just this year, the BYC alongside the UK Youth Parliament launched their ‘Action Against Knife Crime’ campaign,” he said. “The campaign calls for a significant reduction in knife crime through the engagement of young people in educational programmes, all in a bid to highlight the prevalence of violence currently plaguing our nation.
“The main focus of the campaign is to demand the Government to combat violence through education in schools and community groups.
“Recognising the impact that the Knife Angel has already had across the UK, the BYC presented us with a unique award to honour and recognise our efforts to address youth violence and aggression on a national UK scale, with the aim to bring about national change through the medium of art and sculpture.
“We were completely delighted to receive such an incredible award from such an amazing group of young people.”
