Knife Angel escorted to Newtown by Blood Bikes

After spending Christmas back at home in the British Ironwork Centre, near Oswestry, the impressive sculpture is off again on its tour of Britain.

The Powys town is the first to host the Knife Angel in 2020 after a successful bid from the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner department and Newtown County Councillor Joy Jones.

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, said: "It's had some much needed TLC over the Christmas period and is now ready to head off and spread the important message about knife crime.

"It's been quite intensive and I don't think people realise the level of upkeep it needs to ensure it can keep touring the country.

"Every bolt and fixing has to be checked to make sure it is secure and is safe enough to go into public. But I'm glad to say it is officially ready."

With the help of Graham Jones Cranes, the 27ft Knife Angel was carefully placed onto a low loader on Friday morning, before heading off along the A5, escorted by a convoy of Blood Bikes.

Mr Knowles said he hopes all future journeys will be accompanied by bikers.

"It is the first time bikers have got involved and I'm so pleased," he added.

"There is a strong connection between what the Blood Bikes do and what the Knife Angel stands for. It is quite possible that at some point they could have delivered blood to someone who had been stabbed by one of these knives.

"It's great to have their support and I hope it will become a trend when the Knife Angel is moving between places in the future."

Chris Jones, area representative for Blood Bikes Wales, said the idea was raised by a member after seeing on Facebook that the sculpture was being delivered to Newtown.

"It immediately caught our eye and we thought it could be something we could get involved in," he said.

"We have links with Newtown anyway as we deliver milk for premature babies and quite regularly serve the hospital.

"The Knife Angel signifies so many things, one of them being action against violence and aggression, and that is well within our remit, so we were more than happy to escort it."

They were met four miles outside of Newtown by Dyfed-Powys Police who escorted the convoy into town on blue lights.

It will be on display outside the Oriel Davies Art Gallery over the next month for residents and visitors to see.

A number of educational initiatives are also taking place to ensure that the town maximises the benefits of hosting the Angel. The programmes will be tailored to educating youth about the negative effects of knife crime.

Alongside their commitment to conduct 28 days of intensive educational workshops and programmes, Powys is also the first region to commit to targeting and deputising 10,000 anti-violence champions.

Made from more than 100,000 knife blades which were handed into police forces across the country during the Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife campaign, the statue aims to highlight the rise in knife crime across the UK.

After its stint in Newtown, the angel will travel to Gateshead for a month before returning a little closer to home in Telford where it will be on display in Southwater.

Last year a number of cities in the UK hosted the sculpture, including Chester, Derby, Hull and Birmingham.