Preparations for Knife Angel visit
If the Knife Angel’s visit to Newtown stops one person from committing a violent act, it will have been worth it, a councillor has said.
With less than a month to go until the Knife Angel wings its way down the A483 from its home in Oswestry to Newtown, preparations are well underway.
Powys County Councillor Joy Jones has asked for people to put a special profile picture on their social media accounts to highlight the purpose behind the angel’s visit.
Cllr Jones said: “Plans are now coming together.
“Dyfed Powys Police Commissioner, Dafydd Llywelyn, and other organisations are looking at doing different educational things throughout its visit.
“Schools throughout Powys and many organisations have been invited to take part in activities.
“This isn’t coming to Powys about knife crime it is here to stand as a monument to represent anti-violence to everyone whatever their age.
“We are aware that there are many forms of violence and if the Knife Angel makes at least one person think before they do something violent then the whole visit will be worth it.
“The visit is about Powys it’s not just about Newtown it’s about a community building bridges, standing together, protecting the vulnerable and re-educating those who have made serious mistakes in their lives.”
Cllr Jones added: “If communities stand together they can achieve amazing thing and if Powys could become a county that stood up against violence it would be a very happy place.”
Set to arrive on January 3, the Knife Angel will be in Newtown for 28 days, and it will be the monument’s first visit to Wales.
Created at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry the 3.5tonnes , 27 foot high, Knife Angel, is a “national monument against violence and aggression” and was made from 100,000 knives collected from 43 police forces all around the country, including Dyfed-Powys.
Artist, Alfie Bradley, took two years to make the angel, firstly producing a structure out of steel that formed the basic shape which the knives could then be welded onto.
Each knife was blunted before welding it onto the sculpture.
The wings were then created using the blades only, creating a feather like appearance.
Part of the the Knife Angel’s work is to promote a petition supporting a “Save a Life – Surrender you Knife” campaign that has already been signed by nearly 16,000 people.
