Friends fund medical kit to help Leicester stab victims

Joharan Allen (l) and Kamala Smyle-Wisdom have funded the bleed kit to help stab victims

Two youth leaders have funded a medical kit in Leicester which they hope will save a stab victim's life.

Kamala Smyle-Wisdom and Johara Allen are behind Sensational Vibes, a youth development group, which meets in the Highfields area of the city.

They said they have seen the effects of knife crime and described the publicly-accessible emergency bleed control kits as "magic within a box".

The pair are now fundraising for more boxes to be installed around the city.

'Vital minutes'

"It's something we know Leicester needs," said Ms Smyle-Wisdom.

"Knife crime has become a culture, a lifestyle and a way of doing things for young people.

"It's a growing concern and it's important to have these kits accessible within our communities in as many local areas in Leicester as possible."

The kit contains equipment which can help stop blood from a stab wound

A box has been installed at the Leicester African Caribbean Centre, where the friends run the youth group.

It has been funded from their own pockets.

Ms Smyle-Wisdom said her friend's brother, Antoin Akpom was stabbed and killed in Leicester in 2013.

"A kit like this could have been important for Antoin," she said.

The kits, costing £600 each, contain dressings, a tourniquet to help stop blood loss, and instructions.

The centre is also offering training on how to use them.

"These kits are like magic within a box," said Ms Smyle-Wisdom.

It is hoped fundraising will help install two extra kits in the city centre and Northfields area.

Lynne Baird, who set up a charity to raise money for bleed control kits after her son Daniel was stabbed during a night out in Birmingham, said the equipment could prove vital in saving lives.

"The Daniel Baird Foundation now has over 4,000 bleed control kits across the UK," she said.

"The kits have saved lives by being accessible for victims of violent crime in those vital first few minutes before the ambulance arrives."

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