Worcester Knife Angel arrival sparks discussion on violence

The arrival of the renowned Knife Angel sculpture in a city should trigger a discussion about violent crime, a council leader said.

The 27ft (8m) artwork, went on display in Worcester on Wednesday.

Worcester Cathedral will host workshops with schools to talk about the impact of violence.

"The Knife Angel will become the focus for a city-wide conversation about violence, aggression and knife crime," council leader Marc Bayliss said.

A knife amnesty will also be held with a box for anonymous disposal of blades while the sculpture is in the city until 31 March.

The artwork is made from more than 100,000 confiscated, blunted blades from across the UK and was created by artist Alfie Bradley at the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Mr Bradley attended the launch event in Worcester and said he had only had positive feedback from people at the event.

"You can see people talking about it, discussing, taking pictures and that is what it is all about, creating conversations," he said.

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