The Knife Angel’s visit to Luton in August has been a success and has created a focal point for discussion and debate about knife crime.
It also brought with it a series of youth-focused events and competitions that got young people engaged with their communities, talking and learning about knife crime.
The Knife Angel’s time in our town will conclude with a Walk of Remembrance on Thursday 29 August, beginning at 4 pm from St Mary’s Church and ending in St George’s Square. At 6 pm in the Square, there will be a speech from the Mayor, Councillor Tahmina Saleem, followed by an opportunity for those directly affected by knife crime to speak and remember their loved ones.
Everyone is welcome to come along and say ‘farewell’ to the Knife Angel as it travels on to Havering, where we hope it resonates with the community as much as it has in Luton.
The Knife Angel’s visit to Luton was focused on building community partnerships to support children and young people and to build resilience to reject violent behaviour. As part of this, the ARTful Voices exhibition took place at the Hat Factory Arts Centre, which showcased creations from young people across the town. These included spoken poetry recordings, written poetry displays, paintings, drawings and more.
Robin Porter, Chief Executive of Luton Council, said: “The issues associated with knife crime and criminal exploitation are deep-rooted, and changing the behaviour of those involved is extremely challenging. We have been working across our Community Safety Partnership to be persistent and unified in our approach. The Knife Angel’s visit to Luton isn’t just a single ‘stunt’ but is building on the amazing work with our community to tackle the scourge of knife crime. “
The legacy of the Knife Angel visit to Luton will resonate for many years and the partnership approach to strengthening our resolve as part of the planning and delivery means that we will have communities who have the resilience and ability to work effectively with those at risk of or indeed involved in knife crime.
You can learn more about the Knife Angel’s visit to Luton at knifeangelluton.com.