Wigan dad bids to save lives by buying bleed control kits for emergencies

Bevan Molyneux was shocked to discover there were no bleed control kits in the borough for use in an emergency, following the horrific attack in Southport last month, which saw three children killed and 10 people injured at a dance class.

They provide equipment which can be used to stem the flow of blood for a serious injury, such as if someone is stabbed or shot, in the vital minutes before emergency services arrive.

The dad of two said: “After Southport I went on the internet to see where our closest blood kits were and couldn’t find a single one in Wigan. There could be one, but if I had a patient in front of me and needed a blood kit, I wouldn’t be able to find it.”

Bevan, who lives in Standish, set up an online appeal to raise money so he could buy bleed kits.

Each one costs £110, with tax and delivery included, and contains vital items such as a trauma bandage, gauze swabs, a tourniquet and a foil blanket.

Already Bevan has received enough donations to buy a bleed kit and it has been given to The Boathouse pub, in Appley Bridge, where it can be accessed by anyone in the area in an emergency.

Bevan, 34, said: “The kits come with a QR code. You scan it and register it with the emergency services.

"When someone phones 999 with a catastrophic bleed, emergency services will tell them where the kit is. It will prolong life while the emergency services get there.”

Bevan has ordered another bleed kit to be based in Standish, while a business has contacted him asking to buy one and fund four more.

He hopes to get them into key locations around Wigan, such as Tesco Extra on Central Park Way, the DW Stadium and in schools.

He is currently looking at locations open early in the morning or late at night, such as pubs and convenience stores, to ensure they are available as much as possible.

But he hopes to eventually buy boxes for them to be placed outside buildings, making them accessible at all times, like many defibrillators.

Bevan is buying one bleed kit at a time, as the money is donated, rather than delaying the rollout by buying several at once.

He believes it is vital to have as many available in Wigan as possible, as someone with a major bleed can die within minutes, before an ambulance arrives.

Bevan, who works in a children’s care home, as an event medical responder and in patient transport, said: “I know cities have them – Manchester will have them, Liverpool will, places like London will have them. That’s because knife crime is higher there.

"I know there was a stabbing in Wigan town centre a few weeks ago. Getting a blood kit should have been the first port of call.”

To find out more about Bevan’s appeal and donate, go to www.gofundme.com/f/supply-wigan-venues-with-life-saving-bleed-kits.