Hundreds gathered at St Mary Magdalene Church in Newark on Sunday for a closing ceremony marking the end of the Knife Angel’s month-long stay in the town. The 27 ft sculpture, built from more than 100,000 knives, is due to leave Newark on Wednesday this week.

Residents from across Newark and Sherwood came together to look back on the impact the installation has had on the community. Rev Danny Marshall led the service, while Lord Lieutenant Veronica Pickering MBS HAC gave a speech and Dawn Kinsella of the Ben Kinsella Trust and Adele Cook of Cookies Crusaders gave readings. Both women have family members who were victims of knife crime.

Councillor Paul Taylor said the sculpture had become a powerful reminder of the lives affected by violence, and called it a catalyst and a conversation starter. He said the response over the past weeks had brought people from across the county and beyond to take part in events and add their voices to the message it carries.

That response was built across a month of activity around the sculpture, with schools, families, community groups and individuals of all ages joining in events organised by Newark and Sherwood District Council with We are Newark, You Can Do Sport, Newark College and Your CVS. Schools across the district created their own angel designs with messages of peace for display at the church, while free first aid and bleed kit training, school anti-violence conferences and daily illuminations formed part of the programme.

The closing ceremony brought many of those strands together. Barnby Road Academy performed a dance choreographed by Newark Dance Academy, several other schools formed the Angel Choir, and Newark Town Band played a number of songs. Near the end of the service, Natalia Hart of You Can Do Sport and Emma Holden of We Are Newark gave speeches as the focus turned from the sculpture itself to what it had stirred in the town.

Taylor said none of the month’s work happened by chance, praising the teams from the district council, local services, charities, schools and community organisations that worked together to create something meaningful and memorable. He said the collaboration showed what can be achieved when people unite behind a shared purpose, and he thanked everyone involved for making a real difference.

The question now is whether the momentum lasts once the Knife Angel leaves Newark. Taylor said the conversations it sparked must continue and the awareness it raised must not fade, setting out the clearest measure of the sculpture’s legacy as it prepares to move on.