The families of knife crime victims are campaigning for an educational monument to come to Sheffield.
Knife angel, a sculpture made of more than 100, 000 blades seized by national police forces, has been touring the country but has not come to the city.
Anne Gray, 78, and Dawn Gray, 56, have been campaigning for five years to convince Sheffield City Council to host the statue, after losing Dawn’s son to knife crime.
His mum Dawn said: “It’s been devastating for our family. When we got to the hospital my son was already dead. Part of me died with him.”
Jamie Stuart died after being stabbed four times by a drunken teenager on an avenue on 23 July 2011.
She added: “I was trying to be as normal and to rebuild my life. But it doesn’t get easier. I’m just missing him more, especially when I see all his friends getting married and having children. It’s never ended, it’s on my mind every day, it wakes me up every day.”
Anne Gray, with the Knife Angel in Chesterfield
Anne and Dawn engraved Jamie’s name on one of the knives of the sculpture in 2016.
Anne, Jamie’s grandmother, said: “It’s bittersweet to have his name on a knife that probably killed him.
“People think it’s for safety to put a knife in the pocket but it’s not, it’s just getting into a fight. We want to campaign and educate young children about the dangers of that, and stress the consequences that lives are destroyed. It’s worth it even if it only saves one life.”
Jamie Stuart, Anne Gray and Dawn Gray
Hayley Lowe, 27, has also been campaigning for three years for the Knife Angel to come to Sheffield after her eight-year-old cousin Mylee Billingham was stabbed to death by her own father in January 2018 as a revenge act because of his ex-partner’s new relationship.
She said: “Mylee was the happiest of our sisters. The sadness never goes away. So many people around the country have been devastated by this crime but no one seems to want to help.”
The last picture taken of Mylee
Hayley started a petition in 2019 to bring the Knife Angel to Sheffield.
She added: “Knife Angel means an awful lot to us. We don’t want any other families to go through the same situation as us again.
“South Yorkshire has a severe knife crime problem but the authorities seem to think there are more important things to spend money on.
“I told the council that in many other places it has been free by having a community committee to help, but they have chosen to spend money on various different things.
“There’s nowhere near enough being done in Sheffield against knife crime. They don’t support any form of anti-violence activity like they should do.”
A report by Star stated that council said it would cost around £15, 000 to have the knife angel in Sheffield, which includes a 30-day educational programme.
Councillor Alison Teals, Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure, said: “It would be a massive help if we could get funds from local community to host the knife angel. We have very limited funding and most of it now needs to go to statutory services that are most vital for people’s wellbeing.
“I really appreciate the campaigners’ efforts and I can see all the benefits that could come from the knife angel. I hope that we can reach a resolution as soon as possible.”
To sign Sheff Line’s petition to bring the Knife Angel to Sheffield, follow this link.
Comments