Prayer vigil 'to show solidarity to our town'

Yvonne Michele says a vigil will bring people in Luton together

A woman whose hometown has witnessed some high-profile violent crimes is planning a prayer vigil to bring the community together.

Yvonne Michele, from Luton, Bedfordshire, said: "I do think we need to come together and do something, regardless of religion and race, to show solidarity to this town where we live."

Her first attempt at organising the vigil on Thursday had to be cancelled due to heavy rain.

Ms Michele, who is liaising with Luton Borough Council over a future date, said the many "good things that come out of Luton" need to be highlighted.

'I love Luton'

"Luton has some amazing people and some amazing things going on, but that is never highlighted as much as the crime we see in [the Channel 4 documentary series] 24 Hours in Custody, which makes Luton look like it's the worst place to live," she said.

"I was born in Luton, grew up here, left a few times but I always come back, it's my family home and I love it."

In November, the trauma team at Luton and Dunstable Hospital said it treated more victims of violence than any other in the East of England and its main concern was knife crime.

In July, incidents in Bedfordshire involving knives and bladed articles fell by 20% year-on-year, while serious violence involving young people fell by 10%, according to Bedfordshire Police.

Ms Michele said knife violence was "no respecter of person, you could be a young person or an older person" and added "we're the only ones that can change it".

"The reason for the prayer vigil is to make people more aware of what is going on around them," she said.

"Yes, we're calling a prayer gathering but it is about us coming together in a unified way and [this is] the easiest way to get people together."

Luton Borough Council has been approached for comment.

The Knife Angel sculpture was in Luton during August

The Knife Angel – a 27 ft (8m) sculpture made from 100,000 blades – was unveiled in St George’s Square in August. It was designed to be a stark reminder of the scale of knife crime.

It has since been moved to Haverhill, Suffolk, and will be in Peterborough in October.