Newark Knife Angel
By Marilyn Dickson
The Knife Angel was put into the Newark Market Place on April 21st 2026 by the National Youth Anti-Violence Tour. The statue itself is 27 feet tall and is made of approximately 100,000 knives. These knives were collected by the national amnesties and police seizures from across all the 43 UK police constabularies.
Within the knife angel’s time here in Newark, there has been a 30-day programme of events going up until May 20th. These events are a way to spread awareness of knife crime and violent behaviour in general, in a fun yet educational manner (workshops). Following this programme, St. Mary Magdalene’s has displays of miniature versions of the knife angel created by different people within a wider range of communities.
The main message behind the Knife Angel is a reflection of all that can go wrong if someone has gained access to a knife, and decides to use it improperly in order to cause harm to others. Newark itself has helped share the danger of knife crime through workshops in and out of schools.
Overall, the Knife Angel shows how a community can come together to create a good moral lesson through a shared worry, hoping to speak to people through a visual example and help them stay away and reach out about any knife crime or violent behaviours they may witness or have witnessed themselves.
