Knife Angel: Newtown, Powys, to host sculpture

Some 100,000 knives have gone into the creation of the Knife Angel artwork

A 20ft-high (6m) sculpture made from confiscated or surrendered knives is to go on show in Wales for the first time.

Artist Alfie Bradley at British Ironworks Centre created the artwork for the victims of knife crime.

Since the Knife Angel's unveiling in 2017 it has been displayed in eight English cities.

The centre confirmed it would be heading to Newtown, Powys, at the start of January with the plan for it to move to Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, in 2021.

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, said they had also been approached by Bangor Cathedral in Gwynedd and the town of Wrexham about hosting the artwork.

The artwork has so far been displayed in Coventry (pictured), Liverpool, Hull, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Rochester, Derby and Chester

He said: "We wrote to every cathedral, every council leader, every police force, every newspaper in the UK to ask for people to step forward and say they want to be part of the project - Newtown stepped forward."

He said Dyfed-Powys Police was one of the forces that had donated confiscated or surrendered weapons.

"The angel was created with that force's effort and now the youth in that area will benefit from their effort," he added.

Newtown councillor Joy Jones said: "Violence does not just affect those that it's done to but the whole family and it's important that we get the message across that violence needs to stop."