Knife Angel in Telford 'will help turn the tide of violence'
The Knife Angel's appearance in Telford will help to turn the tide of violent behaviour, organisers have said.
The iconic piece of artwork, which has been touring the country since its creation, will return to Shropshire in March 2020.
It will be set up in Southwater Square in Telford in March 2020 as part of an educational campaign.
And today staff at the Ironwork Centre said they were happy it would be coming to the town.
Joanne Jones, of the Ironwork Centre, said: "In March 2020, Telford is set to host the Angel in Southwater Square in the town centre where it will become a pivotal focus for visitors and Telford locals alike to view the Angel and its surrounding educational material," they said.
"The town are in full agreement over our requirement for all hosting locations to use the Angel to undertake 28 days of intensive educational workshops and programmes for their community youth. We have also been assured that they are fully prepared to submit a ‘Post Youth Engagement Appraisal’ following the end of their hosting period. This summary will detail how these educational programmes benefitted the community in terms of helping to turn the tide on violent and aggressive behaviour, and any ongoing plans they have to continue their efforts.
"Being situated in the County of Shropshire ourselves, we are completely delighted to give Telford & Wrekin the opportunity to host the Angel. Since before the Angel’s conception, we have worked very closely with the West Mercia Police force, who were the first force to join our ‘Save A Life, Surrender Your Knife’ campaign all the way back in 2015 through various amnesties and knife banks.
"For such a pivotal part of Shropshire to step forward and also benefit from all the hard work that West Mercia Police have put in over the years is truly exciting for all of us, and we really look forward to seeing the Angel in Telford early next year."
