THE Knife Angel has arrived in Barrow and impressed audiences with its size, ingenuity and workmanship.

More impressive though has been the message and community response to the statue.

Director of Drop Zone Cath Corkill, who was instrumental in getting the Knife Angel to Barrow, has explained how the town bagged the incredible piece of art.

She said: "Back in Spring or Summer we had concerns about young people in the area carrying knives - more for their own protection than to go out and hurt anybody.

"We quickly decided on a six week pilot project to go into schools.

"It was a brilliant project where Drop Zone, the council, police and NHS all worked together on a comprehensive education programme which the children really responded to.

"We went into Furness Academy and it was brilliant."

However this programme was all that was originally planned.

Ms Corkill explained: "Then, about a month or two ago, someone mentioned the Knife Angel in a meeting and we thought it would be brilliant.

"It was never supposed to come to Barrow. It was in Carlisle, then Wrexham then Worcester.

The organisers were impressed by the programme of education being offered in Barrow and Ms Corkill says that this was crucial to Barrow being granted the statue for the month.

"It was because of the education work that we were already doing, there’s an association between hosting the angel and social change and because we’d already started doing it, that supported us getting it in the middle of what was a very busy schedule," she said.

From the notification that the Angel would be visiting the town, it was an incredible multi-agency response to get it here.

Ms Corkill wanted to thank everyone who has been involved.

"The Forum sorted the lighting, the haulage firm have brought it for free, the Council workers were amazing putting it in," she said.

"We have brilliant relationships with all of our partners.

"It wasn't just me, I couldn't have done it without a range of people from all kinds of different agencies."

However, she was keen that the message did not get lost in the splendour of the statue.

She finished: "It’s more about educating why it is here.

"It’s not just about knife crime, it can be about domestic violence or any form of violence.

"While we are lucky to not have high rates of violent crime here, it's always got to be about preventing getting to that point."