Parents of murdered Sunderland teenager Connor Brown back Knife Angel campaign to deliver powerful anti-blade message

The parents of murdered Sunderland teenager Connor Brown are backing a campaign to stamp out knife crime.

Tanya and Simon Brown will be sharing their heartbreaking story of losing their son as part of school visits to the Knife Angel, which is due to arrive in Sunderland in June.

Connor died in February 2019 after he was stabbed five times in a row that started over a £5 note. He was just 18-years-old at the time.

The Knife Angel is a powerful thought provoking sculpture created by artist Alfie Bradley by blades handed in during amnesties held by police forces across the country.

Following Connor's tragic death, Tanya and Simon set up the The Connor Brown Trust and to coincide with the Knife Angel's presence in Sunderland, they will be visiting schools across the city, speaking to the children and running anti-knife crime workshops.

The sessions will involve Tanya talking about Connor's tragic death, how it’s changed her life forever and where people can go for help and advice if they or someone they know is carrying a knife.

She said: “We as a family are really looking forward to the Knife Angel’s visit to Sunderland as it gives us a chance to reflect on our own grief and loss of Connor.

“We set about bringing this project to life in the very early stages of us setting up the Trust.

"This was after visiting the sculpture in Middlesbrough in 2019 and then being invited by Samantha’s Legacy to the official launch of the Angel in Gateshead in 2020.

"It is such a poignant piece that now so many can resonate with. It does leave you feeling waves of emotions that have an impact on you and that is one of the key messages we want to get out to everyone; knife crime does impact on everyone.”

The initiative is part of Northumbria Police's Knives Impact Everyone Campaign to steer youngsters "away from ever choosing to pick up a knife".

The campaign also encompasses a programme of sport and music activities devised to help engage with young people around making positive choices.

It's not the first time the Knife Angel has visited the region. In February 2020, the emotive sculpture stood tall on Gateshead’s quayside.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “Anyone who has already seen the knife angel knows how powerful it is. When we brought it to Gateshead a few years ago people were really taken aback by it - it sends shivers – it really makes you think, and that’s the idea.

“It’s there to make a statement. It represents lives lost and the need for change. Knife violence has to stop.

“The Connor Brown Trust do such amazing work to turning their unimaginable experience into such good. I am so grateful to them for being such a driving force for getting the Angel to Sunderland and all the educational work they’re going to be delivering alongside this.”

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The Knife Angel will be located in Keel Square and it's hoped the sculpture's presence will encourage open conversations around the dangers of carrying bladed weapons, and the potential consequences for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Councillor Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “No parent should ever have to go through what Tanya and Simon went through when they lost Connor to knife crime.

“That they have been able to channel their grief into the force for good that is the Connor Brown Trust is nothing short of remarkable. I hope their powerful story touches the lives of all those visiting the Knife Angel and attending the workshops in Sunderland this summer.

“If this makes even one young person think twice about carrying a knife or sparks a conversation among a group of young people about the devastating consequences of knife crime, then the Knife Angel’s visit will have been well worthwhile.”