News / lockleaze
New ‘bleed kits’ to be installed in Bristol communities
A business owner has purchased ten new emergency bleed control kits to be installed in Bristol communities, although he hopes they will never be used.
Ashton Williams of AMW Heating and Plumbing is working with local campaigners to distribute the kits, which are designed to control bleeding after someone suffers a traumatic injury.
The first two of the kits have been installed at the Hub in Lockleaze and at Scott Park in Patchway.
is needed now More than ever
Ashton Williams says “the best outcome is that these will never need to be used”.
“I’ve got to do something,” he tells Bristol24/7.
“I always said to my mum that if my business does well, I want to give something back so that’s what we’re trying to do. Hopefully, none of the kits we’ve bought get used, but if one saves one person’s life then we’ve made an impact.”
One of the new bleed control kits has been installed at the Hub in Lockleaze – photo: Ashton Williams
Ashton lives and runs his business in Patchway but grew up in Lockleaze. He tells Bristol24/7 that he feels close to these neighbourhoods and it felt like a good place to start trying to make a difference.
“I used to hang around on Gainsborough Square and, even now, it’s a hot spot for people to hang around. Having one on the square there is vital,” he says.
“Lockleaze and Patchway often get forgotten, but these are the communities that use our business, they recommend us and help our business survive. Our company relies on our community, we wouldn’t be here without them. We wanted to do something to give back, and this is just one way we can do that.”
Ashton is also installing kits in Lawrence Weston and St Paul’s this week and is looking for suitable locations for the remaining kits.
He tells Bristol24/7: “I have been in discussion with Leanne Reynolds from the Daniel Baird Foundation about locations and getting them in places where they will be most useful and accessible.”
The Daniel Baird Foundation was set up after the fatal stabbing of Daniel Baird in Birmingham in 2017. Anti-knife crime campaigner Leanne Reynolds leads the initiative to get bleed control kits in communities across Bristol and Bath.
Speaking with Bristol24/7, Leanne says: “The Daniel Baird Foundation believes having publicly accessible bleeding control packs in all major shopping centres, pubs, clubs, public transport stations and other public places is vital to provide the necessary first aid to reduce blood loss until professional help arrives.”
She says that there are more than 200 Daniel Baird kits in the community, but she needs more business organisations to purchase cabinets and kits to make them available in more public spaces.
Leanne Reynolds says bleed kits are vital to provide the necessary first aid to reduce blood loss until professional help arrives – photo: Ellie Pipe
Ashton adds that Bristol companies need to come together and make a difference in their communities if they can. “You have to make some money in business, but you don’t have to make loads of money all the time. It’s about being fair. If you’ve got enough, then do some good with the rest. I want to do this now because I don’t want to think I could have done something to save a life and I hadn’t just gone and done it.”
Ashton adds that his aim is be able to donate to his community on a regular basis as his company grows. “We want to do more later down the line. I’d like to help local community spaces, help make more safe spaces that youngsters want to hang out. We need to give what we can to make our community a better place.”
Emily Shimell is reporting on Lockleaze as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Ashton Williams
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