Shropshire's Knife Angel heading out on the road again

Kathryn Curtis from the Cleveland Police Constabulary contacted Oswestry's British Ironwork Centre earlier this year asking to host the sculpture after a peak in violence and knife crime within the county.

She went on to gain the support of the Police Crime Commissioner and the Middlesbrough Town Council.

Clive Knowles from the centre said: "Statistically, Cleveland has the ninth highest level of knife crime per 1000 population in the UK – a truly shocking number that has prompted the county to already begin ongoing campaigns to raise better awareness. Because of these statistics, we are choosing to prioritise Middlesbrough hosting the Angel as a point of urgency, as we did for Birmingham earlier in the year."

The town will welcome the angel, created by sculpture Alfie Bradley, in late July for a month and as part of the visit will run 28 days of educational workshops and programmes for young people.

"These workshops and programmes will not only include school, college and university students but will also encapsulate ex-offenders and more vulnerable youth," Mr Knowles said.

It will stand in Middlesbrough’s Centre Square, a location bounded by Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, the Law Courts, Magistrates Courts, Library and Town Hall. Located at the heart of Middlesbrough, the Centre Square has been beautifully developed with fountains, grassed areas and even a large screen which can be linked to live feeds and other important media broadcasts.

Mr Knowles added: "Currently, the Knife Angel is situated back in its birthplace of Shropshire right here at the Ironworks. The end of July is already fast approaching and the sculpture will soon be setting off to Middlesbrough, with many other cities already set to follow. If you haven’t had the chance to see the angel in Shropshire yet, now is the time to pay us a visit."