Huge mural painted for anti-knife crime campaigner

Malachi Nunes is the first of 12 charity workers celebrated in the new campaign

A hand-painted street art mural celebrating the work of an anti-knife campaigner has appeared on the side of a building in Birmingham.

The 40ft (12.2m) artwork in Digbeth depicts Malachi Nunes, who runs youth mentoring service Ambitious Lives.

Painted by Global Street Art, it is part of a campaign called "Hidden Heroes" set up by charity LoveBrum.

The idea was to celebrate community champions who were tackling issues including crime, homelessness, and domestic violence, they said.

"It's made me feel like I've achieved a lot," Mr Nunes said.

"Every young person can see that you achieve anything if you put your mind to it. I'm so happy to be a part of the campaign."

One of the aims of his mentoring scheme was to deter young people away from knife crime.

Figures in October showed the West Midlands Police force area had the highest rate of knife crime in England.

Mr Nunes previously told the BBC that children as young as nine were carrying knives because of a "kill or be killed" mentality.

The mural appeared on the side of a shop in Digbeth, Birmingham

“Malachi and Ambitious Lives are a perfect example of the ecosystem of Hidden Heroes that play a crucial role in Birmingham, making our city a better place to be," Dionne Mallens, from LoveBrum, said.

Eleven other inspirational "Hidden Heroes" would appear on billboards across the city from February, the charity added.