More than 200 people trained in bleed kit course

The training aims to equip the public with life saving skills to stop a severe bleed

More than 200 people have been trained to help save lives by using bleed kits, an ambulance service has said.

A free course teaching attendees how to control a significant bleed was held at Sandwell Ambulance Hub in Oldbury on Saturday.

Hosted by West Midlands Ambulance Service and citizenAID, the 40 minute programme hopes to give people the confidence to deal with trauma incidents.

"By providing this training we'll be able to provide more chances of survival before medics can arrive on scene," assistant chief ambulance officer Nathan Hudson said.

He added that the general public could have a key part to play to help people survive in cases of trauma.

Forks and cloths were used to help people learn how to stop a bleed

Trustee of the James Brindley Foundation, Mark Brindley, said that the training was very important to help save lives.

The charity aims to bring an end to youth violence and was set up by Mr Brindley after his son was stabbed in the heart in 2017 as he walked home from a night out.

Mark Brindley said the training was vital for everybody in society

Mr Brindley said his son could still be alive today if people had known life-saving techniques before the ambulance arrived.

"I think it's vital for communities, for everybody in society to learn how to save a life in a traumatic situation," he added.