Crowds of people gathered in Taunton today for the unveiling of the Knife Angel in Somerset as part of a nationwide anti-violence tour.

The statue, which aims to raise awareness of the negative effects of violence and aggression, stands at 27 ft tall, weighs 3.5 tonnes and is made out of 100,000 knives and blades retrieved from amnesty bins from across all 43 UK police forces.

It was designed by artist, Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre. Learn more about the Knife Angel and its residency in Somerset here: The Knife Angel visits Somerset in April.

A short ceremony took place outside the Market House in Taunton where the statue will be located throughout April.

The event was hosted by Edward James Allen, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Cllr Nick O’Donnell, Mayor of Taunton, and Cllr Mike Best, Chair of Somerset Council.

There were speeches from Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Culture, Cllr Tom Deakin, Leader of Taunton Town Council, Adam Fouracre from Stand Against Violence and Emma Webber from the Barnaby Webber Foundation.

After a minute’s silence, the ceremony closed with attendees being invited to tie a ‘Ribbon of Reflection’ to the railings surrounding the Knife Angel as a mark of their support.

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Executive Member for Housing, Communities and Culture, said:

We are proud to host the Knife Angel for the month of April as part of our commitment to making Somerset a healthy and caring place for everyone.

The Knife Angel is not only a stunning piece of art, but also a powerful symbol of hope and healing. We hope that the 30-day campaign will raise awareness about anti-conflict with schools, community groups and local businesses.

The sculpture reminds us that violence is not inevitable, and that we can all play a role in preventing it and supporting its victims.

Cllr Tom Deakin, Leader of Taunton Town Council, said:

Taunton Town Council is proud to support the bringing of the Knife Angel to the town centre.

Our hope is that its presence in such a prominent location will start conversations across our community raising awareness of the impact of aggression and violent crime.

Adam Fouracre from Stand Against Violence and Emma Webber from the Barnaby Webber Foundation also addressed the crowd to share their personal stories.

Although Somerset remains a safe place to live with relatively low levels of knife crime, Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council are supporting and encouraging a 30-day campaign of anti-conflict awareness raising with schools, community groups and local businesses.

The sculpture will move to Weston-super-Mare on 30 April, to be hosted by neighbouring North Somerset Council throughout May.

The Knife Angel in Somerset is supported by Somerset Council, Taunton Town Council, Avon and Somerset Police, Barnaby Webber Foundation, British Ironwork Centre, Crimestoppers, Go Create, Taunton Independent Market, Stand Against Violence and Taunton Minster. We’re pleased to have the increasing support of many partners and local businesses from across Somerset.

Keep up to date with the Knife Angel’s visit to Somerset here: Knife Angel Somerset.