Shropshire's Knife Angel restarts its national tour
Craned up onto the back of a lorry, Shropshire's Knife Angel sculpture has resumed its tour of towns and cities across the UK.
The anti-knife crime sculpture has a short journey today south along the A49 and across the south Shropshire border to Hereford.
It will spend a month outside Hereford Cathedral, the first time it has travelled since the first Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020.
The sculpture created by artist, Alfie Bradley from 100,000 blades handed in to or confiscated by police forces across the UK.will spend 30 days at the cathedral as part of a month long series of anti violence workshops and engagement with young people.
It has spent the past 15 months back at its home, The British Ironwork Centre, near Oswestry.
Chairman of the visitor attraction, Mr Clive Knowles, said it had been emotional seeing the Knife Angel begin its UK tour once more.
"We are now starting to rebuild its national journey. Our objective is to still ensure the angel visits as many UK cities and towns as possible," he said.
Mr Knowles said he had been approached by official bodies in Durham, Blackburn, Northampton, Exeter, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Stoke on Trent, Grimsby, Leicester, Chelmsford and Guildford.
The city council at Stoke-on-Trent was the latest to contact him.
The sculpture was in Southwater in Telford when the pandemic struck. Among the venues that have already welcomed it have been Liverpool and Coventry Cathedral.
