Potentially life-saving bleed kit installed in Roker

Funded by Sunderland's SAIL project (Sunderland Altogether Improving Lives) and installed by the Connor Brown Trust, the emergency bleed kits contain first aid equipment designed to help save the life of a stabbing victim. 

Parents Tanya and Simon Brown, who were instrumental in bringing the Knife Angel to Sunderland in June, set up the Connor Brown Trust following the tragic death of their 18-year-old son in a knife attack in the city in 2019.

It was during the Knife Angel's visit that the groundbreaking SAIL team ran a series of events to raise funds for emergency bleed kits alongside knife crime awareness-raising workshops for schools organised by the trust.

Set up with the aim of making a real and lasting difference to people's lives, SAIL brings together partner agencies including Sunderland City Council, Northumbria Police, Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, Sunderland BID (Business Improvement District) and support services under one roof in its city centre base. 

Working with partners and local businesses, SAIL organised a range of fundraising activities culminating in the SAIL Community Cup, which saw 12 football teams competing in a community tournament at the Beacon of Light and managed to raise £6,000 - enough to fund 10 bleed kits.  

Councillor Kelly Chequer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities at Sunderland City Council, said: "The Knife Angel and Tanya and Simon's powerful story touched the hearts of so many people during its month long visit to the city in June.

"Working alongside the trust, the SAIL team worked incredibly hard to raise funds for the bleed kits during the Knife Angel's stay. It's brilliant that they managed to raise £6,000 to fund 10 of these potentially life-saving kits.

"While I very much hope that they will never be needed, it's reassuring to know that they will be there should the need ever arise. Having one to hand could make all the difference in the event of an emergency. It's great to have this lasting great legacy from the Knife Angel's visit.

"All credit to Tanya and Simon who have managed to turn their own personal tragedy into a powerful force for good and to the SAIL team for their amazing fundraising efforts which have helped demonstrate their purpose of making Sunderland a safer place to be."

The first kit has been installed near Tesco at Roker Retail Park. The remaining nine will be installed throughout the city centre in the coming months.

Susan Dungworth, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "There is never a right time to carry a knife, and we know the tragic consequences that doing so can have. 

"I don't want to see another family left heartbroken, or a community destroyed as a result of knife crime.

"Whilst we hope these bleed kits are never required, they could ultimately mean the difference between life and death in critical moments.

"This initiative has been driven by the SAIL project and Connor Brown Trust who have been instrumental in getting the kit in place, demonstrating a community led approach of partners working together to tackle the issues that matter most in our communities.

"Together we can address these issues to create safer streets and stronger communities."

Simon Brown, from the Connor Brown Trust, said: "In the first moments of any incident speed is vital to getting the patient the assistance they need and this is where the Bleed Kits come into their own. Doing nothing, a patient has less chance of survival but using the kit gives anyone a fighting chance before paramedics get to the scene. The more of these kits we get out in our city the safer people will hopefully feel."

Chief Superintendent Joanne Park-Simmons, Northumbria Police's Knife Crime Lead, said: "As a Force, we sadly know all too well the utter devastation that knife crime can cause.

"It's great to know that 10 bleed kits will now be in place at various locations across Sunderland so that if needed, they can be used to potentially save lives.  

"We'd like to thank Tanya and Simon Brown for their unwavering support in the fight against knife crime and their continued efforts to raise awareness in this area.

"As always, we'd ask that parents and carers continue to have those difficult but extremely important conversations with the young people they care for if they suspect they are choosing to carry knives.

"By picking up a knife, you can destroy not only your own life but the lives of many others including your family and friends. Please make the right decision."

Sharon Appleby, Chief Executive of Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID), added: "Like any medical emergency, the ability to have immediate access to special equipment can mean the difference between life and death, so the installation of these kits is a really important resource.

"Of course we all hope that they will never be needed but should a situation arise, then having them close at hand until the professionals arrive could save someone's life."