Colchester United Football Club is pitching in to support the visit of The Knife Angel to the city in October.
The U’s are championing the visit of the iconic sculpture through their Community Foundation, and at the match against Notts County on 30 September.
The U’s General Manager, Tim Waddington, said: “It’s important we help raise awareness of the impact knife crime has on our communities. One life lost to knife violence is one too many and it is important to get that message across at a young age.”
“We have a large following, including children, teenagers and young adults, and are happy to use our channels to not only support this month of activity, created to raise awareness of the issue of knife crime and its impact on society, but to also remember the victims who have lost their lives to knife violence.”
At the Notts County match on 30 September, U’s first-team players will wear t-shirts during their warm-up with the ‘United Against Knife Crime’ message on the front. Also, the big screen will be used to reinforce the messages around the arrival of the Knife Angel in Colchester the following day and the programme of educational activities planned throughout October.
Community Foundation Health and Inclusion Manager Ed King said: “We are committed to supporting our community and city. A key area of our provision is delivering community safety workshops to young people across North Essex, one of the workshops is United Against Knife Crime - the same message the first-team players will be wearing on their shirts in the warm-up.
“In advance of the Knife Angel coming to the city, we believe running this event on a match day will help get anti-knife crime messages into lots more homes in our community, which in turn will help contribute towards a safer community.”
Cllr Natalie Sommers, Cabinet member for communities, added: “It's great to be working with partners like Colchester United Football Club to reach more people in the community and raise awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime. The Knife Angel is a powerful symbol of unity and remembrance, and we hope that its visit to Colchester will help to spark important conversations about how we can work together to keep our communities safe.”
The Knife Angel is the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression. Designed by artist Alfie Bradley and built out of more than 100,000 confiscated blades, it is owned by the British Ironwork Centre, a charitable organization based in Shropshire. It is a symbol of unity, remembrance, and a call to action against knife-related violence.
A programme of activities, events, and awareness-raising campaigns is planned by Colchester City Council and its partners between 1-31 October when the 27-foot statue will be on display in front of the landmark Jumbo water tower in Balkerne Gardens, Colchester, adjacent to The Mercury Theatre.
For more information visit: www.colchester.gov.uk/knife-angel/
Page last reviewed: 25 September 2023