In Pictures - Princess Anne’s visit to Wellingborough ‘meant the world’ to local anti-knife crime group Off the Streets

Princess Anne visited Off the Streets in Wellingborough on Friday (February 16) to talk with the local anti-knife crime group about the work they do and why it’s so important.

Off the Streets has been at the forefront of the fight against knife crime in the county, supporting young people and local communities by providing vital bleed control kits, training on how to use the kits, amnesty bins and youth workshops.

They were proposed for a royal visit by HM The Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, James Saunders Watson, for their achievements in reducing knife crime in the county.

He said: “It has given me great pleasure to learn about Off The Streets and meet with the co-founders Rav and Jane, and to see how much good they are doing in the community, engaging with so many excellent stakeholders and supporters along with the vital work they are carrying out directly with our younger communities.

"Knife crime continues to hit the headlines, and everything we can do to keep people safe from knife crime, raise awareness and give effective help in an emergency is all to the good and we thank HRH the princess royal for showing her support by visiting the group.’’

The idea for Off the Streets came from founders and directors Jane Capps and Ravaun Jones when local 16-year-old boy, Dylan Holliday, lost his life to a knife crime incident.

The group was subsequently established in 2021, and has since then gone on to deliver anti knife crime workshops to more than 7,000 young people, set up an amnesty bins initiative resulting in more than 3,000 knives being handed in, trained 650 people in bleed control, 214 bleed control kits have placed, and several community events have taken place to raise awareness, educating the public and reducing knife crime.

Founders Rav and Jane said: “We are delighted and honoured to have met HRH the princess royal and to share with her what we do.

"For her to spend precious time with us and everyone we invited meant the world to us and our charitable mission to create communities that are free from the fear of knife crime.

"We thank her for helping recognise our services to support safe communities and to raise awareness of how to prevent and tackle knife crime.”

The event was also attended by two young students from Weavers Academy in Wellingborough, who highlighted concerns for the safety of young people and issued a plea for more youth centres and projects for young people to keep them safe.

Take a look at some of the key moments from HRH's visit.