Knife victim’s family to see first weapons surrender bin installed on the high street
A foundation set up after a man was fatally stabbed in Aldridge is launching its first knife amnesty bin in the town this week.
The James Brindley Foundation is unveiling the new weapon surrender bin outside Aldridge Social Club on the High Street on Friday.
It is one of 12 knife amnesty bins the foundation is planning to install, so people can safely dispose of bladed weapons, which will then be removed by professionals.
At the launch, James’ parents, Mark and Beverley, will be joined by Aldridge and Brownhills MP Wendy Morton, The Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, Mayor of Walsall Councillor Rose Martin, director of trauma services at Walsall Manor Hospital Ruchi Joshi and West Midlands Ambulance Service operations executive director Nathan Hudson, among others.
Managing director of local business Vesta Space, John Meeks, will also be present, after the firm funded the first bin.
Mark Brindley said: “We believe our streets are safer with knives in amnesty bins, rather than in pockets.
“There is currently only one bin in Walsall, but we believe more are needed which is why we launched our Safer Streets campaign.
“If we make the bins more accessible for people by placing them within communities across the borough, we make it easier for people to legally and safely dispose of bladed weapons.
“Just having a bin to collect knives is a wasted opportunity, we also want to engage and gather information, especially from young people.
“We have designed the bins in a unique way, so they’re taller and accessible from three directions to create a greater presence in the community.
“Our bins will have a QR code on them so it’s easy for people to communicate with us in an anonymous way, so we can direct our services where they’re most needed.
“We initially identified 12 locations across the borough to place the bins, at a cost of around £18,000, plus extra for installation and maintenance.
“So far, we’ve bought seven of them, with the help of Walsall Council, businesses and community groups.
“We still need to raise £7,500 to buy the final five and to get them out on the streets, saving lives, as quickly as possible.
“Once they’re all installed, they’ll be featured on an interactive map on our website, giving precise locations where to find them using What3Words”.
The James Brindley Foundation was set up after 26-year-old James Brindley was stabbed through his heart in an unprovoked attack in Aldridge in June 2017.
Following this, his family set up a charity and educational programme in his name, dedicated to raising awareness of all the issues surrounding youth violence and to raise funds to enable the charity to deliver its work with children and young people.
The James Brindley Full Circle Programme is an accredited educational programme, designed to prevent young people from falling into antisocial or criminal lifestyles, by tackling the root causes of youth violence, as well as knife crime.
People are being invited to go online and tell the foundation where and when they feel unsafe, so the information can be used to identify hotspots and direct services to promote safety.
Visit jamesbrindleyfoundation.co.uk/safer-streets-form
