See the music video here:

Led by lanterns – Save a Life

The song is incredibly moving and features Rachel Webb who is a huge supporter of the work we are doing. She sadly lost her son to a horrific knife attack in Derby city centre last year. The band have worked with her to create their music video. When the band started researching the UK’s knife crime statistics, they were shocked at how much of a problem it really is. Every 4 minutes there is a knife attack in the UK. That means every 4 minutes someones life is changed, their families lives change.

The band met with Alfie Bradley and visited the workshop here in Oswestry to see the creation of the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression and they couldn’t believe the amount of weapons that had been handed in.

We thank the band for their tremendous support and it adds a new dimension to the National campaign, a new direction to spread the awareness of the affects on victims and their families, as the effects hit them the most.

Alison lost her son to a fatal knife attack and has been a fierce campaigner against knife crime ever since and a huge supporter of our campaign.

The headstone in the photo was created at the British Ironworks by his good friend Emanuel who came to the Ironworks for a welding experience. The headstone reads ‘Rest Easy Depz’
a touching tribute to his friend.

Many thanks to all of our loyal fans who have been amazing this year! We look forward to 2015, and welcome it with open arms.

January will see the beginning of our Knife angel construction, and further campaigning to get the word out.

We hope for more fundraising and awareness opportunities and hope to see more bins placed across the UK.

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you and a very Happy New Year, and please everyone keep a place in your thought on Christmas day to those who have lost their lives to knife crime, and remember the families that they have left behind. Our thought are with you all this holiday season.

The delivery took place today in our centre in Oswestry Shropshire, the knives where placed into a controlled environment where our specially trained workers will de-contaminate and dull down the blades in preparation for the sculpture.

It is a long and complicated job, but one with a just reward at the end of it. We were never expecting such  a massive response so soon into the campaign and it means that we can get started on the Knife angel all that much quicker.

Work on the Angel is to begin in January with preparation beginning as soon as the Christmas break is over. We now feel very confident that this can and will go ahead as we had hoped. everything is falling into place. We have several amnesty bins now planted around the UK, and have received a call from one area stating that the bin is full and ready to be delivered!

Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks, Alfie and his boys have their work cut out for them but its going to be a spectacular sight on completion.

Remember Amy Hughes? You know the one? Yeah that girl who ran 53 marathons one after the other?? Of Course you do! She’s a self-made legend and we are insanely proud to have her support.

Cheers Amy! We can’t wait for our Angel to be completed.

Today we have been fortunate enough to gain the support of “Only Cowards Carry” who have been running since 2012, and are a registered charity. You can find out more about them here:

http://www.onlycowardscarry.org

Video to follow…

The centre welcomes Ron Dowling, local metalworker.

He has offered his services voluntarily to assist Alfie Bradley in the initial construction of our knife angel – after all, a 20 ft statue is definitely NOT a one-man job.

Alfie will have help throughout various stages of creating this memorial masterpiece, it is our soul priority that Alfie is safe during the construction of the Angel, even if we need a whole construction crew to finish it – that’s what we’ll do!

After our recent visit from Oswestry Police station we are now finally able to full reveal our Oswestry knife bin to the general public safely and confidently and continue to raise awareness and collect knives for our all-important Knife Angel statue – a 20 foot Icon in memory of lost souls, and the families associated with victims of knife crime.

It will be a truly remarkable pieces, crafted entirely from melted amnesty blades and constructed by our infamous sculptor Alfie Bradley.

Alfie was the sculptor behind our famous Spoon Gorilla unveiled in summer 2014, it was made entirely of recycled spoons donated by children across the globe, after its presentation day it was announced that it was to travel across the UK visiting Children’s hospitals in the hopes it will delight and inspire Children facing difficult illnesses. Alfie’s ability to conjure up magnificent creations large and small is something to be admired and only truly appreciated when seen in person. It is with great pleasure that we can say he works with us full time.

The Oswestry Police Force have been fantastic through recent weeks and today’s visit from Sergeant Scott Barnes and Inspector Rick Klair was been a very rewarding experience, as we now have their full support to open our amnesty bins in Oswestry and to continue ridding the streets of weaponry.

The backing of our local police is immeasurable as we are able to have security ensured on all our amnesty bins, and arrange regular collections of donated blades.

We couldn’t do this without their support.

Thanks guys, we look forward to working with you more over the coming months!