9. Alison Davies - Bench Talk with Jo Hilditch
Has anyone in Herefordshire not seen the Knife Angel in the last month whether on social media, or in the metal flesh? Today Jo’s chat comes from a bench underneath the Knife Angel and the towering west tower of Hereford’s magnificent cathedral, and she’s talking to Alison Davies, who has lead the project to bring this magnificent sculpture here. Alison lost her son to violent knife crime so she talks about the Knife Angel and what it means to her, the community beyond and its legacy for Hereford. This project is about more than just knives, and the sculpture asks “WHY?” whilst being a metaphor against violence and aggression. Its presence has been used as the base for a series of workshops, which relate to huge number of different issues including keeping children out of the criminal justice system, bereavement, restorative justice, county lines, drug abuse, and more. From a position of huge grief Alison shows what a positive impact can be made through the presence of this kind of artwork. No less than 100,000 knives were used in its creation that were handed into police forces across the county and it has attracted more 100,000 visitors during its time in Hereford. Listen out for Alison’s 3 top Herefordshire tips too!
References:
The Knife Angel Sculpture https://knifeangelhereford.co.uk
Or - https://www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/show-areas/the-knife-angel-official/the-knife-angel-uk-tour
Hereford Cathedral - https://www.herefordcathedral.org
Welcome | Hereford Cathedral School (herefordcs.com)
Bishop of Hereford Diocese of Hereford (anglican.org)
Explore and visit Herefordshire » Eat. Sleep, Live Herefordshire (eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk)
Visit Herefordshire | Feel a World Away
Symonds-Yat – East, West and Rock
Oakchurch Farm Shop - Food, Garden & Home
Longhorn Beef | Fresh Meat Delivery | Online Butchers | Huntsham
Sensory & Rye (sensoryandrye.co.uk)
Alison would also like to express her gratitude to her two daughters, Meryl Cain, the Bishop, the Cathedral, Pauline Strong, Elaine, Dawn Ford, Gary Jones, Tricia Thomas, Eileen Sims and Dave Tristram
