Haverhill Knife Angel sculpture ceremony takes place tonight

Haverhill Town Council is set to host the official ceremony to mark the arrival of the sculpture, which is made up of more than 100,000 seized knives and aims to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime. 

The creation, by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironworks Centre, will stand in Haverhill's Market Square for the entirety of September. 

The statue in place in Haverhill Market Square (Image: Jon Adkin)

This follows a lengthy campaign by the family of Harley Barfield, a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the town in January last year, passing away at Royal Papworth Hospital two days later.

In December, a then-17-year-old boy was convicted of murder and handed a life sentence with a minimum custodial term of 17 years following a trial lasting over four weeks.

Harley Barfield (Image: Suffolk police)

To mark the arrival of the Knife Angel after it was brought to Haverhill from its previous location in Luton on Saturday, August 31, the town council is holding a formal ceremony from 6pm tonight. 

It will be opened with a pre-event DJ set from Essex Underground Radio and will be attended by Haverhill Mayor David Smith, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Lady Clare Euston, and Tim Passmore, Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner.

The event will include speeches from Clive Knowles, chairman and founder of British Ironworks, the parents of the murdered teenager Harley Barfield, and Dr Saleyha Ahsan – presenter of BBC’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor. 

A reflection will then be read by Rev Max Drinkwater of the nearby St Mary's Church, and there will also be a performance by spoken word poet and hip hop artist Kiran Lotay.

During the civic ceremony there will be a presentation of anti violence certificates.