PUPILS in Brockworth have raised their voices in the fight

against knife crime.

Teenagers at Brockworth Enterprise School have written and

performed a song warning of the dangers of carrying knives.

The as yet unnamed song uses the Linkin Park hit Numb as a

backing track and has been developed as part of the school's

focus on staying safe.

This term the pupils, aged 13 and 14, have been studying

knife crime and wrote the song in the hope of encouraging young

people to stop using blades as weapons.

It has been revealed that in the last three years, 113

people have been treated for knife attacks at Gloucestershire

Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals – the equivalent of more

than two a fortnight.

During a week-long knife amnesty last month more than 70

knives and two swords were taken off the streets of Cheltenham,

while in 2006 a countywide amnesty saw 1,065 knives handed over

to police.

In London this week, 16-year-old stab victim Ben Kinsella

became the 17th young person to die violently in the capital

alone this year.

The song by the Year Nine pupils at Brockworth also mentions

the death of Kiyan Prince, 15, who was stabbed through the

heart outside the gates of a North London school in May.

Ravall Douglas, 13, said: “Many young people don't watch the

news so music is a way of getting the message across to them

that carrying a knife is not worth it. People think it's for

protection but it is not. Hopefully our song can make a

difference.”

Saphra Hopkins, 13, added: “Some people think they are big

for carrying a knife and try to threaten people but they are

not big. In fact they are just cowards, it shows much more

strength to not pick up a knife.”

Melanie Vaughan, head of citizenship and physical, health

and social education at the school, praised the children.

“It's amazing, they wrote all the words themselves about how

they feel about knives being used and their impact,” she

said.

“From a professional point of view I was amazed at how well

they worked to come up with the words and that they truly

believe and want others to realise that knife crime is

something that should be dealt with.”

The school now hopes its song could be distributed

nationally.