Event at Guildford Cathedral aiming to raise awareness of knife crime
The event will run alongside a performance of Romeo and Juliet, and will feature workshops and a speech from the father of Charlie Cosser, who was stabbed last year.
A theatre company in Surrey are running an event tonight, which is aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime.
The evening is taking place at Guildford Cathedral and is being run by the Guildford Shakespeare Company, and will feature a speech from Martin Cosser, whose son Charlie, who was from Surrey, was stabbed and killed at a house party last year.
It's running alongside a production of Romeo and Juliet.
The evening will feature workshops and a speech from Martin Cosser, father of Charlie who was stabbed at a Surrey house party last year, and a performance based on a knife attack scene from Romeo and Juliet.
GSC are teaming up with University of Surrey, PubWatch, Street Angels and campaign charity Charlie’s Promise for an awareness event at Guildford Cathedral on Wednesday 3 rd July.
At the centre of the Knife Crime Awareness evening is a talk by Martin Cosser, CEO and Founder of charity Charlie’s Promise. Martin is the father of Charlie, who was stabbed and killed at the age of 17 at a house party in Surrey in 2023. Martin has made it his life’s work to raise awareness of knife crime and the immeasurable damage it brings. Charlie’s Promise is dedicated to helping the fight against the rising issue of knife crime in Surrey and across the UK.
Donations received for this event will go to Charlie’s Promise. Opening the evening, GSC’s Saturday drama group (aged 12 – 18) will create a special piece of
Forum Theatre based on a key knife attack scene from Romeo & Juliet. This will be followed by a performance by students from the University of Surrey, and there will be additional talks from PubWatch, Street Angels and ExperienceGuildford. In addition to this focus evening, GSC are visiting schools who are part of Romeo & Juliet with special knife crime awareness workshops, in partnership with the Kiyan Prince Foundation.
Sarah Gobran, co-founder of GSC, says, "From our extensive outreach work we know that theatre can be a powerful vehicle for change. We wanted our production of Romeo & Juliet to have a legacy for our community beyond the performances, and we’re looking forward to working alongside these inspirational partners to create this important event."
Dr Katy Peters, Solicitor, Senior Lecturer, University of Surrey, comments, "We are delighted to be able to participate in this important event, in collaboration with such inspirational partners. The theatre of a courtroom creates an innovative teaching space. The scenarios explored in our Knife Angel-inspired workshops offer a powerful illustration of the catastrophic impact which violent and thoughtless decisions can have on both the victims of crime, and those whose actions cause harm, injury and death."
Nicola Pratt, Head of Development, Guildford Cathedral, says, "Guildford Cathedral is delighted to be part of this event. After hosting the Knife Angel during March 2023, it is great to be working back with some of our partners again, by continuing the legacy of its visit to Guildford. The event by Guildford Shakespeare Company enables important resources and messages to be heard once again about the impact of violence and aggression in our communities."