Training provider Black Onyx Academy has announced a major county-wide week of action running from Monday 16 November to Friday 20 November.
Taking to the road in their custom-built Mobile Knife Amnesty Van, the veteran-led team will visit high-profile locations across Staffordshire to drive POINT TAKEN – The Staffordshire Knife Swap Pledge, which is a campaign aimed at removing unwanted bladed items from streets and households.
“POINT TAKEN is a vital initiative to raise awareness around the removable of sharp-ended knives in the home and on our streets,” said Stef Northfield, Strategic Lead at Black Onyx Academy.
“Research by Dr Leisa Nichols-Drew (DE Mountfort University 2025), highlights the importance of reducing the risks associated with conventional pointed kitchen knives, particularly their potential to cause serious or fatal injuries.
“By encouraging households, schools and businesses to replace pointed kitchen knives with safer, rounded-tip alternatives, we can take a proactive step towards reducing harm, preventing injuries and ultimately saving lives.”
The campaign is also calling upon Staffordshire businesses and organisations to pledge their support by becoming a Challenge Partner and they have already received support from AMB Insurance, Capula, Black Onyx Concepts, Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group, PREM Management, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, Turnaround Print Services and Stoke-on-Trent College.
Talking about the initiatives Challenge Partners, Stef added: “Our initiative is being supported by Challenge Partners, which means that each partner will receive a unique QR code and all we ask is that the organisation promotes POINT TAKEN through their media channels along with in-house posters to encourage people to surrender unwanted knives and consider replacing pointed kitchen knives with blunt-ended alternatives.
“We are not asking organisations to collect any knives – just to support the campaign and encourage others and we have already received support from some brilliant organisations. We would welcome anyone who would like to become a partner to reach out, or come and see us during our week of action.”
Additionally, the week of action will showcase Black Onyx Academy’s flagship accredited educational programmes: S.A.L.T.® (Save A Life Today): The UK’s first accredited knife awareness workshop, combining risk identification, conflict management, and emergency response training and – Operation Mindset: High-impact mentorship workshops for 11–16-year-olds utilising military principles of discipline, resilience, and personal accountability.
The high-tier training provider have also partnered with The Daniel Baird Foundation, which was established by Lynne Baird after her son Dan Baird tragically lost his life in 2017, due to the lack of immediate bleeding control equipment, to raise awareness about bleed control kits during the week.
Week of Action with Black Onyx Academy:
Monday 16 November – Stafford Market Square, Stafford Town Centre 1pm-2:30pm
Elevate Community Centre – Auden Way, Stafford 3pm-4:30pm
Tuesday 17 November – Tesco Extra Car Park, Clough Street, Hanley 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Wednesday 18 November – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre Ironmarket 2pm-4:30pm
Thursday 19 November – Tesco Longton, Baths Road 9am-10:30am, Blurton Community Hub, Ingestre Square 11am-12:30pm, Hanley Park Cleveland Road, 1:15pm-2:30pm, South Wolfe Street Car Park 3pm-4:30pm
Friday 20 November – Burton Market Place 91m-10:30am, Shobnall Leisure Complex, Shobnall Road 11am-12pm, Sacred Heart Church, Silver Link Road, Tamworth 1pm-2:15pm, Pye Green Community Centre, Bradbury Road, Cannock 3:15pm – 4:30pm
For more details please contact Stef Northfield at stef@blackonyxacademy.com and visit Black Onyx Academy here
