OA Hindley students get a visit from the Manchester Bee Monument

The Manchester Bee monument paid a visit to students at Outwood Academy Hindley last week.

The sculpture was created by British Ironwork Centre in partnership with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as part of the ongoing “Forever Amnesty” campaign. The monument is made from weapons which have been removed from the streets of Manchester through the amnesty and is being used as an educational tool as part of an anti-violence campaign programme delivered by GMP.

The striking sculpture was commissioned by GMP following an overwhelming response to The Knife Angel, which was also created by British Ironwork Centre with artist Alfie Bradley in 2018, and was made using 100,000 knives recovered from amnesties of multiple police constabularies.

Jude Norman, Principal, said of the visit:

“It was an invaluable opportunity for the whole school community to see the powerful and thought-provoking sculpture made from seized or surrendered weapons from the Greater Manchester area. The students were able to talk to police officers about the work they do to keep the community safe and its message of anti-aggression and anti-violence was very clear.”

Students were able to touch the sculpture and look closely at the vast array of weapons that it is made from. The visit gave officers an opportunity to speak to students about the dangers of carrying knives or firearms and they explained that many of the weapons in the sculpture are in fact legal.

Clive Knowles, Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre stated:

“We are very proud to have worked alongside Greater Manchester Police to create the UK’s first national educational monument made from firearms.

“We hope it will journey to all the four corners of the UK, spreading its anti-violence message.”