Birmingham charity honoured at knife angel ceremony for helping 1,000 youths escape crime

A charity which has helped more than a thousand young people turn their back on crime has been recognised with two anti-violence awards

A Birmingham charity which has helped more than 1,000 young people turn their backs on crime has been recognised at the opening ceremony of the knife angel sculpture in Sandwell. St Giles works in hospitals and custody suites to support young people who are arrested or hospitalised.

The St Giles team were among 100 anti-violence champions to receive certificates at the opening ceremony of the Knife Angel sculpture in Sandwell on Wednesday October, 2. It comes amid fears grassroots youth organisations will struggle to cope with added demand after birmingham-city-council>Birmingham City Council announced further cuts to the city’s beleaguered youth service.

The new knife angle sculpture, which stands 27ft tall and weighs more than three tons, tours the country to highlight the impact of knife crime. The structure is made up of 100,000 blunted knives and was unveiled yesterday outside Sandwell Council house.

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St Giles works in hospitals to support young people once they are discharged with the aim of reducing future violence. The group's work has seen re-admission rates for weapons wounds reduce from 44 per cent to seven per cent by addressing underlying issues around mental health, substance use and poverty, before helping young people access opportunities.

St Giles' work is supported by funding from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP). The charity received two anti-violence awards at the knife angel opening ceremony.

Police commissioner Simon Foster said: “The dedicated support St Giles offers children and young people during their most vulnerable moments, has made a profound difference; not only to those individuals but also their families and wider communities right across the West Midlands.

“When prevention and early intervention works the success stories often go untold, so I’m pleased that the valuable work St Giles does has been celebrated so publicly. The complexities and challenges of offering this kind of intensive support cannot be underestimated and while I am honoured to have been presented with my own certificate it is the people working on the frontline that deserve the credit and their moment in the spotlight.”

From January 2023 to January 2024, St Giles reached more than 1,350 children and young people aged between 11 and 25. Business development manager for the St Giles Trust in the Midlands, Jade Hibbert, said: "Since 2019, we have been working hard to support children, young people and their families across Sandwell through our A&E Violence Navigator Service in Sandwell Hospital and our In Reach Police Service in Oldbury Custody block.

“We are proud to be an integral part of such an incredible, multi-agency team across Sandwell and thankful to our funders, the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership and the Police and Crime Commissioner for their continued support.”