Finishing touches made to Shropshire's Knife Angel

As the finishing touches were put to the knife angel sculpture at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry this week, two mothers said more must be done to persuade young people not to carry knives, whether out of bravado or fear.

The sister of 21-year-old Danny Jones, from Chirk, who was murdered by a single stab wound in an incident in Oswestry in 2013 said the work-of-art by Alfie Bradley was a wonderful tribute to all those who had lost their lives in knife crime.

Chelsea Bebbington, 19, said: "We don't want people to forget Danny and this is a way of keeping his memory alive.

"He was kind, thoughtful and giving and a great older brother."

Mr Bradley said he was pleased the sculpture was finished.

"It has been a long time in the making," he said.

Alison Cope was the last person to engrave a message on the sculpture.

Her 18-year-old son, Joshua, a rising star in the music world, was murdered in 2013.

Now dedicating her life to taking to young people about knife crime, Alison, who has several family members living in Shrewsbury, was the inspiration behind the knife angel and it was her blessing that led to the project taking off.

She inscribed a simple message 'Josh 10.8.95 I love you', on a blade before the sculpture was taken out of the studio to be weighed so that an application can go to see it on the fourth plinth in London.

Both she and Rachel Webb from Derbyshire, say more must be done to get to the root of knife culture in Britain.

Rachel's son, Tom, 22, was murdered by Haris Mohammed, 16, in Derby, in January last year,

"It was completely unprovoked, he was surrounded by a group of young men," she said.

"People are carrying knives for many reasons, for bravado, out of fear or because they are just evil. There is no quick fix to the problem, we all have to take a social responsibility, parents, education, the government and the community."

"Gang culture is rising and it is being glorified."

Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, Clive Knowles, said thousands of knives had been taken of the streets as part of the campaign through the knife banks in towns and cities or by confiscation by police forces across the country.

He said recent terror attacks had given the sculpture even greater significance.

"This angel is dealing with a very significant problem that the country is wrestling with right now, which is violence," he said.