An artist teamed up with a group of young carers to highlight how knife crime "ruins lives" by putting up a temporary display around a symbolic monument.
Andee Collard, an artist with Bolton Contemporary, put placards made by young carers from Bolton Lads and Girls Club at the base of the Knife Angel, which stands on Deansgate until the end of the month, for a few hours on Tuesday.
"Stop knife crime", "Love Not Hate" and "Cut It Out" were among the messages written on the placards.
The Knife Angel was created by the artist Alfie Bradley to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour while addressing the need for social change.
Andee said: “The purpose of this is to promote dialogue, it’s really important that everyone recognises this as a massive issue, not just for young people, but for everyone.
Speaking about the Knife Angel, he said: “Just to see the volume of knives and the range of it boggles the mind.
"It’s quite overpowering to think of these knives being used in violent ways.
“Knife crime ruins lives, and not just young lives. Can’t we all just get along?”
Bolton Contemporary is a community organisation that focuses on bringing art to those who don’t have immediate access to art and cultural activities.
Andee added: “We’ve done several projects with Bolton Lads and Girls Club, where we get to explore ideas and different material.
“This is more politically driven than what we usually do."
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