Nuneaton football wall owner launches new bleed kits fundraiser
New fundraiser coincides with addition of Jude Bellingham to wall
A wall in Nuneaton featuring Jude Bellingham, Leah Williams and Bobby Moore, among other England football stars, has an important new fundraising mission.
Kate Williams, the owner of the wall, tells us donations are now being put towards providing more bleed kits to the area.
She says: "We've suffered some knife crime in our area in Nuneaton. And just last month unfortunately a young man lost his life to a stabbing in our town centre, where these bleed kits really aren't readily available."
Kate says the money raised can also help prevent young people getting into crime in the first place.
"We can get into schools and community areas and give young people another choice to find another safe space and use their other skills," she says.
She says it's not just knife crime the bleed kits can help with, but also traffic or construction accidents.
The new fundraising effort coincides with the addition of Jude Bellingham, one of England's star midfielders - and is just the latest in a history of campaigns linked to the wall.
The wall was started in 2021 when England won their semi-final and Kate's partner had the idea of getting a street artist to paint their stone wall.
Midlands-based artist Nathan Parker, who goes by N4T4, was then hired for the job.
Kate says people were instantly interested in the wall, which made her realise it could have a positive impact in the community.
And one event in particular inspired Kate to start fundraising.
She says: "During the 2021 campaign, Christian Eriksen has collapsed on the pitch and had suffered a cardiac arrest and a defibrillator was used at the scene.
"So I thought, if we put a bucket here, people might pop a pound in and we could get a defibrillator somewhere in our local community."
People came to the wall to remember loved ones they had lost to cardiac arrest and gave donations. Kate says they raised £12,000 in just 72 hours.
Leah Williamson was added to the wall during the 2022 Women's Euros where fundraising efforts were turned towards girls' football kits.
The wall now features Queen Elizabeth II, Raheem Sterling, Gareth Southgate, Harry Kane, Leah Williamson, Bobby Moore and Jude Bellingham.