20 Bleed Control Kits to be distributed across South Yorkshire

Every time I say prevention is better than the cure, I feel like I’m at a concert, stood on the stage and the audience is going absolutely crazy at me. Why? Because everybody always agrees.

Which is brilliant of course, because this should make using prevention methods such as education and weapons bins/ weaponcollections unchallenged, smooth and successful. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

One thing that I have come to learn is that prevention can only be applied if an issue is recognised to start with; like having pain killers for a headache that has not yet started.

I will tirelessly push for prevention methods to be put in place, but it is a struggle, at times it is a battle that I feel that I cannot win. That is, until people realise that we do have a problem with knife crime and your age, sex, colour, religion or income do not make you exempt from feeling the devastation that knife crime causes. As I always say “The blade of a weapon does not have the victim’s name inscribed on it. Therefore, it could be for me, or you”.

Consequently, until we can see that we have a problem, countless lives will be lost, countless families will have their world torn apart and countless communities will have the eerie feeling of death. A thought that I regularly lose sleep over. And something needs to be done!

The Bleed Control Kits will not prevent the incident from happening, nor will they educate the attacker around their barbaric actions, but they will give a glimmer of hope to the victim; a hope that they may survive the attack.

The Bleed Control Kits are put together by Steroplast and myself, they consist of: 2 x Pair of gloves, 1 x Resusciade face shield, 1 x Trauma bandage, 1 x S.T.A.T tourniquet, 1 x Compressed gauze, 1 x Timestrip self-counting liquid timer, 1 x Pair of scissors and 1 x Thermal blanket.

Alongside the Bleed Control Kits, we are working with medical professionals to provide free virtual training on how to administer the contents of the bleed control kit for people in and around the area where the Bleed Control kits are placed.

Additionally, all agencies will be notified of the Bleed Control Kits in their area, the building with the Bleed Control Kits will be put on a map and an eye-catching poster will be clearly displayed so Bleed Control Kits can be the easily located and accessed.

Current locations of the Bleed Control Kits are:

Caribbean Spice - 80 London Road, S2 4LR

Gatsby - 73-75 Division Street, S1 4GE

London Road Jewellers - 76 London Road, S2 4LE

Picture House Social - 383 Abbeydale Road, S7 1FS

Piña - 3 Harvest Lane, S3 8EF

Temple night club – 4 Queens Road, S2 4DG

“I hope we never have to use them, but if we do, I hope it saves a life” James O’hara the co-owner of the Gatsby, Piña and the Picture House Social.

Dan Hatfield, the star of ITVs Million Pound Pawn welcomed the Bleed Control Kits with open arms “I think that the work you do is great and we will do all that we can to help you”.

King Kev the owner of Caribbean spice was delighted to receive the bleed control kit “Big up for the work you do. The youths need to stop killing each other and understand the value of life”.

“We don’t have a problem with knife crime within our place. But it is not about us, it is about the area. It is always to be safe than sorry”. The owner of the Temple night club.

Just to emphasise, the Bleed Control Kits have not been distributed to locations because there is a problem with knife crime and serious violence within the building that they are placed. They are being placed at those locations to potentially prevent a death within the area.

I would love to have your thoughts on where you think the Bleed Control Kits could be located. If you have any suggestions, or if you would like to have a Bleed Control Kit placed in your building, please drop me an email on [email protected].

The Bleed Control Kits and training are free. However, we do ask for donations towards our next project: The Mobile Youth Club.

The aim of the project is to engage young people in hard-to-reach areas and provide them with a friendly and fun place to build friendships, learn new things and have a safe space to talk to professionals.

The vehicle will be filled with engaging activities such as, games consoles, DJing, music production, video editing and a place for private talks / home work. Outside of the vehicle will be sporting equipment and games such as football, basketball, pool and snooker.

We will be working with other professionals to advise young people on mental health, sexual health, substance misuse, anti-social behaviour, serious youth violence and give education, employment and training information.

Furthermore, outcomes will be shared with organisations around where and how future funding/projects could be established to create better opportunities for young people.

Please donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-to-create-a-mobile-youth-club