A new giant bee sculpture is set to be constructed in Manchester – only this one is a little different to the statues that flew in for the Bee in the City art trail in 2018.
The newest addition to the hive is an insect made entirely out of weapons collected on the streets of Greater Manchester.
These include knives, guns, blades, and other sharp instruments surrendered to local police in 2020.
This bee sculpture – created by The British Ironwork Centre in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police – will stand both as a monument for anti-violence and as an “educational tool.”
A giant Manchester bee is to be made out of thousands of knives, guns and other weapons collected from the streets of…
In the space of five months, as many as 1,000 weapons were handed in to GMP as part of a ‘Forever Knife Amnesty’ campaign.
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Secure knife bins were made available at police stations within the region – and remain in place to this day.
Speaking in July, Sergeant Paul Nolan of Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit said: “The bins remained available throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as a safe option to dispose of a weapon for those who may have felt vulnerable.
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“We are delighted with the number of knives that have been deposited. Any knife or weapon which is handed in is one less on our streets, and more importantly, one less that cannot be used as part of a crime.”
GMP
The assembly of the bins had also been made in conjunction with the British Ironworks Centre, who claimed that Manchester was the first city of its kind to commit to such a project.
In a statement on the upcoming bee sculpture, the centre commented: “Taking inspiration from Manchester’s bee symbolism, the monument will take on the form of a giant bee, watching over the city and providing a reminder of a stance against violent and aggressive behaviour.
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“It will be used by GMP and the wider region as an educational tool.
“A suitable location for the monument is still yet to be decided upon but, of course, it will be placed in a very prominent position where the maximum number of residents and visitors will be able to view it and learn of its meaning.”
There are also conversations about Manchester hosting the Knife Angel in August 2021 – an astonishing sculpture made from over 100,000 seized blades.
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A wholesome fundraising challenge is coming to Greater Manchester – and it only requires a little light exercise
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester is being asked to ‘Step Up’ in support of a fundraising event that’s aiming to raise funds for a very important cause.
In a bid to raise money for unemployed women an all-new fundraising challenge has been announced titled ‘Step Up’ and it’s running throughout March 2025.
This challenge has been set up by Smart Works Greater Manchester, an important local organisation and necessary resource that provides interview clothing and coaching for unemployed women.
Women who use this service can receive a 60-minute dressing appointment and accompanying hour-long personalised interview preparation, completely free of charge.
In order for vital services such as these to be made readily available, companies like Smart Works Greater Manchester rely on schemes like these to raise money and for people to get involved.
The ‘Step Up’ fundraising challenge is hoping to reach a goal of £35,000 while also covering 130 miles – the equivalent of walking the perimeter of Greater Manchester‘s ten wonderful boroughs.
In 2024, this organisation helped over 800 women and from this, two-thirds of the candidates went on to secure jobs in various work sectors.
Anyone can join this new initiative and Smart Works are calling on local businesses, community groups and individuals to sign up, recruit and take part. Walk, run, cycle, break it up into as big a team as you like – the choice is yours.
As well as raising money for a good cause, those who can get the most donations will be rewarded with some fantastic prizes too; it’s also a brilliant and easy way to promote regular exercise, physical health and general well-being.
Smart Works put on a wonderful festive crowdfunding event this past year too:
There is no better time for this challenge to take place than now as money raised can instantly help as many people as possible during this current period of economic strain and financial instability.
Smart Works has many centres across the country including London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and even a spot just over the hill in Leeds.
Who knows? Maybe you can rope a co-worker or two into getting involved, all we know is every little bit of effort contributes to making a big difference.
Anyone looking to take part in ‘Step Up’ for Smart Works Greater Manchester can find out more information and sign up HERE.
Manchester woman arrested after commenting ‘hey guys’ on her own wanted appeal
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Manchester has been arrested after she commented “hey guys” on her own wanted appeal online.
Oh, and she was found hiding under a pile of children’s toys too.
It’s not a classic arrest story, by any stretch of the imagination, but Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has explained how a woman who taunted officers by commenting “hey guys” on her own wanted appeal posted to a GMP social media account was subsequently arrested later by officers from GMP’s City Centre policing team.
The 22-year-old was located at an address on Platt Lane in Fallowfield, and when police arrived at she scene, she was found hiding in one of the rooms under a pile of children’s toys.
The woman was first arrested on suspicion for failing to appear at court for three counts of assault of an emergency worker, drugs offences, and theft, and was then further arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
She remains in custody for questioning by GMP detectives.
“We currently have a woman in custody being questioned by detectives thanks to the swift actions of our officers,” commented Detective Inspector Natalie McDonald.
The comment the woman posted under her own wanted appeal / Credit: GMP
“We want to thank everyone who engaged with our post, as it ultimately helped us to locate and arrest this woman, and we have dedicated teams of officers across Manchester who are actively seeking and arresting those who are wanted.”
GMP says fighting neighbourhood crime is “a priority” for officers.
The public is urged to contact GMP on 101, or the online LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk, as well as via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if they have concerns about crime in their community.
The Manc -
28th September 2020 
