Knife Angel Partnership – How Optimum Skills are Supporting Durham Police to Bring The Knife Angel to Newton Aycliffe
Optimum Skills are proud to get involved in the Knife Angel campaign, which has successfully scheduled the Knife Angel to be hosted at Newton Aycliffe in June 2025.
Since 2018 The Knife Angel has travelled the UK across numerous towns and cities, with Newton Aycliffe being the latest town to see the Angel be hosted there.
Knife crime is such a prevalent topic currently throughout the UK and a critical educational point for many of the young people Optimum Skills work with every day.
As part of this vitally important campaign, Optimum Skills are contributing to the curriculum design of educational materials aimed at raising awareness of knife crime and its impact on individuals, families, and communities. In addition, we will be actively promoting and supporting a local knife amnesty, encouraging safer communities by providing opportunities for people to surrender knives without fear of prosecution. Over the next three months, we will also be engaging our learners in meaningful discussions and activities that highlight the dangers and consequences of knife crime, ensuring they are informed and empowered to make positive choices.
This is just the beginning of our commitment to tackling this issue, with more exciting plans to come.
‘I am incredibly proud that Optimum Skills is part of this powerful initiative, working alongside the local police to support the Knife Angel’s arrival in Newton Aycliffe. Educating young people about the dangers of knife crime and supporting a local knife amnesty is a crucial step toward making our communities safer. This initiative aligns with our vision to optimise potential of our learners to create a positive impact in the local area’ – Stephanie Hudson, Head of Quality, Optimum Skills
‘Optimum Skills have assisted us in a number of projects over the last few years to make Newton Aycliffe a safer place to live, work and visit. When we reached out to them to support us in delivering ‘Knife Angel Newton Aycliffe’, they were unwavering in their commitment to educate young people on the dangers of carrying a knife. They have been instrumental in helping us to design a bespoke package which will be rolled out to over 2000 students across County Durham to try and keep them safe. I’m absolutely overwhelmed by the level of support, enthusiasm, creativity, and professionalism that I have received from Stephanie, Sophie and Jenny to contribute to the success of this project, they are a real credit to Optimum Skills and the wider community’. – Sergeant Andrew Boyd, Newton Aycliffe
The Knife Angel will be hosted in Newton Aycliffe in June 2025. More information will be available about the location and activities taking place around this soon.
You can find out more about The Knife Angel here: Knife Angel | Durham Constabulary
