Shropshire's Knife Angel to go on the road
Shropshire's Knife Angel sculpture, which has captured the nation’s imagination, could be on the move - with two major UK cities vying to host it.
The Knife Angel, which is housed at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, was designed and created by sculptor Alfie Bradley from weapons confiscated by police forces across the country.
It has earned national attention and received plaudits up and down the UK. Campaigns have taken place to have it transported around the country, with repeated calls for it to go on the fourth plinth on London’s Trafalgar Square.
Now Liverpool and Hull want to take the Knife Angel and place it in their cities, with Liverpool keen for it to sit next to the Liverpool Cathedral for the whole of December.
Mr Bradley said Liverpool says it will pay to transport the angel from Oswestry to Merseyside, and fund 24-hour security while it visits the city.
The sculptor, who spent years building the Knife Angel, said it was fantastic that real interest is now being shown in it.
He said: “It is really brilliant news that Liverpool and Hull are both keen to take the Angel.
“It was built to display a message and for that message to be taken all over the country, and it would be great to see it fulfilling its purpose.
“I know talks are taking place, so now we will wait and see what happens, but it would be great to see the Angel outside Liverpool’s cathedral.
“Finally the Knife Angel will do what he was built for and start it’s tour around major cities to raise awareness of violence and knife crime.”
Hull launched a bid for the Angel back in April, as part of an ongoing campaign to tackle knife crime in the city.
A group involving Humberside Police and spearheaded by Kayleigh Pepper, whose brother Richard was stabbed to death in the city, launched the #NoMoreKnives campaign, in a bid to tackle and educate youngsters on the dangers of knife crime in Hull.
