Over 3,000 pupils across Hartlepool were visited by the No More Knives tour – in a bid to tackle serious violence.
The campaign – provided by The Message Trust – invites students aged 11-17 to listen to first hand stories.
Stories come from people, who have been caught up in knife crime and gangs. Sessions combine music with storytelling and education.
The sessions allow young people to understand the dangers of knife crime and the signs of being groomed into County Lines. In addition, it lets young people have open discussions with their peers.
All students taking part were invited to a concert by the artists at the end of the week.
Participating schools included St Hild’s CoE School, High Tunstall College of Science and Dyke House Academy. All of the schools sit within the serious violence hotspot areas of the town.
A total of £8,500 was awarded to the ORB Community Hub for the tour. The money came from Cleveland’s Violence Reduction Unit (CURV) small grants fund.
The event was also supported by PCSO Eric Barrett, the youth engagement officer for Cleveland Police.
Head of CURV, John Holden, said: “The No More Knives tour has been massive success as part of our Cleveland-wide approach to reduce and ultimately prevent violent and serious crime.
“It has landed well with the students who have been having honest and open discussions about some serious topics.
“It provides a clear, powerful message around the danger and consequences of knife crime and backs our mission to ensure our communities are a safer place to live for not only the present time but for future generations to come.”
Best visual presentation
Speaking on the day of the tour, Year and Learning Manager at St Hild’s, Jonathan Gibbon-Hayes, said: “This is the best visual presentation I have witnessed in my time of teaching, such a powerful topic delivered in a relevant way to our pupils.”
Emma Owen, No More Knives Tour Manager, added: “We love sending the No More Knives team to the North East the last tour to Hartlepool was a resounding success with three schools and 200 young people at the end of tour concert singing ‘lay your knives down’.
“We want to say a massive thank you to PC Eric who has partnered with us over the last couple of years as he will be retiring this summer, and we look forward to coming back to the North East again soon.”