The special sculpture by artist Karen Lyons related to gun violence and how this can be transferred into something positive for our communities, as part of the ‘Guns to Goods’ campaign.
The sculpture is a portrait bust of Manchester peace activist Erinma Bell MBE DL, made to a scale 1.5 life-size. It is cast in iron retrieved from guns and weighs 50kg and was unveiled in a special ceremony yesterday evening at Manchester Cathedral.
Erinma is listed as one of the 250 most influential people in Greater Manchester because of her work in the ‘Guns to Goods’ campaign, a project which recycles firearms seized by police into works of art.
Manchester Cathedral has an existing close association with the work of Erinma Bell, who is an active member of the Challenging Hate Forum and the Modern Slavery Multi-faith Forum. The Cathedral has long supported initiatives towards peace, and it celebrates the positive contributions made by diverse communities to the social and cultural richness of the city of Manchester.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said:
“The number of firearm-related incidents remains incredibly low in comparison to its peak in 2007/2008, and the public should be reassured that we are working hard every day to deter and dismantle this selfish and reckless criminal behaviour. We can’t do it alone however, which is why inspiring individuals such as Erinma are so crucial to supporting our communities, reducing gun crime and saving lives.
“The sculpture is symbolic, showing items that were once used in such a destructive way transformed into a representation of those who have fought to safeguard our future, one free from gun crime and violence.
“We will continue to work to make the streets safer. Community vigilance is pivotal in our work and we urge people to come forward and work with police and people like Erinma to help us tackle something that has no place in our towns and cities.”
The sculpture will be on display at Manchester Cathedral until May before being exhibited at the Peoples’ History Museum and the University of Salford’s MediaCityUK campus later in the year.
