Pupils learn to use life-saving bleed kits in Wolverhampton schools
Pupils at Wolverhampton secondary schools are being trained to use life-saving bleed kits, led by the sister of a man killed in a knife attack, as a local MP pushes for the scheme to go nationwide.
Secondary school pupils in Wolverhampton are receiving training on how to use life-saving bleed kits now installed at their schools, in a campaign led by the sister of a stabbing victim.
Holly Baird, from the Daniel Baird Foundation, has been visiting schools including Smestow Academy to demonstrate the equipment. Her brother, 26-year-old Dan Baird, died from stab wounds sustained during a dispute outside the Forge Tavern in Digbeth, Birmingham, in July 2017. Carlton Donaldson, 24, was later sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison for the murder.
Baird said she believed it was likely that a pupil in any given class would eventually use the skills learned, whether responding to a violence-related injury or an accident, and said she was encouraged by how engaged young people were during the sessions.
MP calls for national rollout
Wolverhampton West MP Warinder Juss recently completed a project ensuring schools across his constituency have access to a bleed kit, and is now calling for every secondary school in England to be equipped with one. He noted that each kit costs £109 and argued the price should not stand in the way given its potential to save lives, adding he hoped the Department for Education would consider adopting the approach nationally.
Sienna Ahir, 17, from anti-knife crime campaign Daggers Down, helped raise funds for kits installed across Wolverhampton West. She said hearing from people affected by knife crime, such as Baird, highlighted the value of mentorship in prevention, adding that young people also want to hear from those who have committed knife crime, not just victims.
Pupils who took part in the training described its impact. One, a Year 8 student named Freya, said it made her realise the importance of being able to help someone else's family member. Her classmate Jeffrey said practising with the tourniquet left him feeling more confident, while hoping he never actually needs to use one.
