Liam Taylor: Essex Police backs life-saving bleed kits

Police have backed the use of potentially life-saving first aid bleed kits by helping to distribute them to pubs and train people in their use.

Julie Taylor, whose grandson Liam Taylor, 19, was stabbed to death outside a pub near Chelmsford in 2020, has been raising money for the kits and taking them to venues across Essex.

The contents include a tourniquet, bandages and a foil blanket.

Essex Police said the kits were "massively important" and "invaluable".

Three men were jailed for the murder of Mr Taylor, and since his death his grandmother said it was now her "life's work" to make sure the kits were installed "everywhere".

Mrs Taylor and other volunteers have raised funds for more than 100 bleed kits so far and they have been distributed to venues across Essex, and as far away as Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, and London.

Public-access bleed control kits are specialist first aid kits which include several items which could potentially save a life.

Lynne Baird was instrumental in campaigning for them to be rolled out at more than 50 venues in Birmingham after her son, Daniel, 26, was stabbed to death in 2017.

Via the Liam Taylor Legacy crowdfunding page together with other fundraising initiatives, the Taylor family and others have raised funds for two defibrillators, bleed control bags - which cost about £100 each - and several bleed control units - housed in boxes, which cost almost £600 each.

"Getting these kits out and helping to save people's lives is my passion in life," said Mrs Taylor.

"You can't ever let Liam be forgotten. He can't just be another statistic."

Essex Police is now on board with her campaign and recently accompanied Mrs Taylor to six venues in Essex where kits were handed out, and training in their use was given.

Uttlesford PCSO Michael O'Donnell-Smith described the kits as "invaluable", and said: "Having the kits accessible in the community is massively important.

"Whilst the ambulance service is excellent, you only have a three-minute time bracket if you're a police officer or a member of the public to save someone's life.

"The more we have out there, the more lives will be saved."

Mrs Taylor is continuing her campaign to get more bleed kits into venues, and in June was given a Platinum Jubilee Champion award in recognition of her volunteering and fundraising work.

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