Last month, The British Ironwork Centre were approached by a representative of BBC Crimewatch to take part in an interview for their show. The Crimewatch team have been following and working alongside the West Mercia Police (WMP) to find out more about how they are reducing crime within their region, with the centre forming a part of the final elements of their filming. They will be featured on BBC One’s Crimewatch Roadshow on Thursday 10th of September at 9:15am.
The Crimewatch team visited last Friday to interview Clive Knowles, Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre. They were very interested in finding out more about the Knife Angel, its movement across the UK, and its anti-violence stance. But, most importantly, they were there to understand more about how the Angel isn’t just an amazing piece of artwork but also an incredibly important point of tuition for towns and cities all across the country. The Knife Angel commits each hosting city to conduct 30-days of intensive anti-violence workshops and programmes for its regional youth whilst simultaneously leaving a lasting legacy throughout each region that it visits.
Pictured: Film Crew & Clive Knowles, Chairman of the Ironworks, and John Paul Davies, Reporter of Crimewatch Roadshow
The centre recently received a very large delivery of blades and mixed weapons from the WMP. Most of the weapons were in bio-hazard tubes following analysis and the completion of investigative police processing. These weapons are to be used for a future project to further enable and support the WMP in educating Mercia’s youth over the importance of rejecting violence and finding non-violent solutions for resolving arguments and disputes. Telford are one of the locations within the West Mercia region who are very interested in having their own anti-violence sculpture.
To highlight Telford’s efforts and to create an everlasting visual legacy for the town, the British Ironwork Centre have proposed the idea of creating a giant daisy sculpture out of blades collected through surrenders and amnesties conducted by the West Mercia Police and Telford & Wrekin Council. Last year, they also created a National Police Dog Memorial for the WMP as a way to fondly remember and honour all past and present service dogs, nationally. The monument was created from decommissioned guns and knives and can now be found proudly displayed outside of the WMP headquarters in Worcester.
Pictured (Left to Right): Concept Drawing for Telford’s Anti-Violence Sculpture & The National Police Dog Memorial
A spokesperson for the British Ironwork Centre said: “We were so thrilled to have BBC Crimewatch here at the Centre and we really look forward to seeing how they use the footage taken for their show! As restrictions across the country ease up, we are already planning the Knife Angel’s next move – keep an eye your eyes on our social media for further information.”
