Rugby students turn surrendered knives into sculpture
Ashlawn School pupils are encouraging young people to make safer choices through anti-knife crime campaign
Knives handed into amnesty bins have been transformed into a sculpture as part of a student-led campaign against knife crime in Rugby.
Pupils at Ashlawn School created the artwork through their Cut the Cycle project after identifying knife crime as an issue they wanted to address.
The sculpture was displayed at the High Sheriff Legal Service event in Warwick to encourage conversations about preventing violence.
Students met a professional blacksmith before work began to learn how the surrendered knives would be transformed.
The project developed through Warwickshire Crimebeat’s Young High Sheriff Programme, supported by the school's Behavioural Sciences Society and Careers and Safeguarding teams.
Rugby Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) Sergeant Guy Mountford said: "The sculpture is a powerful reminder of the choices people make. By transforming knives surrendered through amnesty bins into something tangible, these students have created a lasting legacy and more importantly, a powerful way of starting conversations about knife crime.
"We know knife crime can have devastating consequences, which is why education and prevention are so important. The students involved in this project have shown that young people can play a vital role in challenging harmful behaviours, supporting their communities and helping create a safer future too.
Alongside the artwork, pupils have created a website, produced a short film and shared their learning with other schools across the borough.
They have also taken part in workshops and virtual reality experiences exploring the consequences of carrying knives.
The campaign aims to show how young people, schools and communities can all play a role in preventing violence.