A national monument to highlight the dangers of knife crime is coming to
County Durham for the first time.
The Knife Angel – constructed using 100,000 seized blades and weighing in at
3.5tonnes – will officially be installed in Newton Aycliffe on June 1, 2025. The
sculpture was created by artist Alfie Bradley, from The British Ironwork Centre.
Using blunted blades handed in during knife amnesties held by police forces
across the country, the angel has been helping to start crucial conversations
about the negative effect of violence and particularly knife crime since it began
touring the country in 2018.
But it is particularly poignant for Newton Aycliffe after one of the town’s
teenagers, Jack Woodley, lost his life to knife crime in 2021. The 18-year-old
was attending a funfair in Houghton-le-Spring when he was attacked by ten
other teenagers and stabbed.
Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, Jack sadly passed away in
hospital. The ten teenagers were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life
in prison.
Since then, Jack’s mum, Zoe McGill, has been working with Newton Aycliffe
Neighbourhood Policing Team sergeant Andy Boyd, to add her story to
workshops delivered by Sgt Boyd to thousands of schoolchildren in the town.
Ms McGill said she hoped the arrival of the Knife Angel would further bring
home the message that knife crime devastates families.
She said: “We feel truly honoured to be bringing the Knife Angel to Jack’s home
town and I know Jack would be so proud of the efforts of those who helped
make it happen. Sadly, not every knife crime incident is reported until it
becomes another statistic and too little too late.
“That statistic is felt so much more to the victim’s loved ones and family for the
rest of their lives and the ripple effect is never known to those who have been
fortunate enough to not have lost a loved one.
“I am hoping and praying the Knife Angel stops such a tragedy ever coming to
Jack’s home town.
“The grief of losing a loved one to this senseless crime is too much too bare
and I feel we need to somehow connect with the public and our younger
generation in order to help them feel our pain through Jack’s story so they
never want to carry a knife again . If we can save even one family from this
pain that is enough.”
Anyone caught with a knife can face up to four years in prison.
Sgt Boyd added: “Delivering educational packages in our schools has been a
passion of the Neighbourhood Police Team for a number of years now to keep
our kids safe.
“Although we don’t have a huge problem with knife crime in Newton Aycliffe,
it is so important to get ahead of the curve to prevent rises in violent
behaviour.
“Zoe has been so brave in adding Jacks story to our presentations which lets
our kids know just how impactive this type of crime has on family, friends and
community.
“When she reached out to us with regards to bringing Knife Angel to Newton
Aycliffe, we were only too happy oblige.”
The sculpture will be installed in the town centre’s mall throughout June with a
whole calendar of activities planned for the community.
Schoolchildren will also be invited to get involved with special visits to the
angel and poster and photography competitions also planned.
A working group is currently organising the finer details of the angel’s arrival
and anyone who wants to get involved is asked to contact Sgt Boyd by emailing
or PCSO Michaele Dale at
Joy Allen, Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington,
added: “I am proud to support efforts to bring the Knife Angel to the force area
for the very first time.
“This powerful national monument continues to send a strong and poignant
message to communities across the nation that all forms of violence are
unacceptable.
“Thankfully, we do not have the same level of serious violence in Durham as
the larger metropolitan areas, but every life lost and every injury on our streets
is one too many – and wholly preventable.
“We must work harder to deliver campaigns and interventions that stop young
people from carrying knives from day one before they have an opportunity to
cause unthinkable harm.”
To find out more about the Knife Angel visit
www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/knife-angel
