THE Kingswood-based charity Mikey’s World has been busy installing bleed kits around the area.
Among the places kits have been installed are King’s Oak Academy, Sir Bernard Lovell Academy, Snap Fitness in Staple Hill, the Old Plough in Westons Way, Bendix club and the King Billy, Warmley.
Mikey’s World, set up by Hayley Ryall and her family and friends after the death of her 16-year-old son Mikey Roynon in 2023, works with the Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership.
Together they have put more than 500 kits in communities around the area, meaning that people who are bleeding severely can receive treatment while awaiting emergency services.
Each bleed kit contains a selection of carefully chosen emergency medical equipment, designed for simplicity and maximum impact.
Rather than replicating the advanced care of an ambulance crew, the kits focus on key interventions that can stop or slow blood loss and prevent a patient’s condition from deteriorating.
While often associated with knife crime, bleed kits are designed to be used in any incident involving severe bleeding — from road traffic collisions and agricultural accidents to sporting injuries.
When a 999 call is received relating to life-threatening bleeding, call handlers will be able to identify the nearest kit and direct bystanders to it and support them in following the instructions where appropriate, improving the chances of survival, until the ambulance arrives.
The volunteers say they have heard of two instances in the past month where kits have successfully been used to treat patients, one in Keynsham and one in a Bristol park.
• Mikey’s World is holding an Easter Family Fun Day fundraiser on April 19 at its HQ at New Cheltenham community centre, 1-4pm.