A Suffolk foundation rolling out bleed control kits to stop people losing their lives to knives
The bleed control kits will be accessible for use, should anyone be stabbed or injured that needs medical assistance
Last updated 29th Jul 2022
A Suffolk foundation is responsible for the emergency bleed control kits being distributed around the county.
Paul Stansby from the 'Be Lucky Anti Crime Foundation' wants the help to be available to those who become injured so they don't have to feel the same pain as he did after his older brother died as a result from his injuries after being stabbed.
Paul told us his brother was in the 'wrong place at the wrong time.' Three men approached him looking for a fight around 5:30 in the afternoon.
His brother defended himself and the fight moved from the street into the road and back, where Pauls brother fell on the curb.
As he tried to get up, he was stabbed and died as a result.
Paul told us what it was like finding out his brother has died.
"It was the biggest soul destroyer I've ever had.
"When it comes to emotions and stuff, I'm pretty... bash down the walls and carry on going kind of thing.
"But that was a that was a show stopper. That one stopped me in my tracks.
"When you view somebody so highly in your life, someone that stepped in not only as a brother, but as a father as well, to view him in a way, what is probably the most powerful man I ever knew.
"And to find out, somebody just took him and was a real shock because I felt like he was invincible."
Paul is now reaching the same age his brother was when he died. He told us what it is like living beyond his sibling who he looked up to.
"I don't have someone, I don't have a benchmark no more, and that's really sad.
"Because everything I do now is for the memory of him rather than to make him proud.
"Where he would say 'well done, brother.'
"Where I've done it all before, for him to look at this and be like 'brother I am dead proud of you.'
"Now I haven't got that anymore, so that's the part that will always get me deep. You know that he's not here to see the accomplishments that I'm doing.
"And it's sad that I have to do it on behalf of him because he died.
"The emotions run deep. So every time I do something to help raise awareness to save kids lives, to help educate parents to to understand their children and what they're up to.
"It's all from pain. So every time I step up and I do a talk, it takes me back.
"There's no recovery from me. I'm always left in the black of my life because I'm doing it for my brother and the loss of him."
Emergency bleed Kits
The inside of the Emergency bleed Kits
Paul has been campaigning to get the emergency bleed control kits for a while. But told us he suddenly realised this was something he could do for himself.
He reached out to local business and building owners, asking them if they would be happy to take on a kit and has had a large response.
"I started putting things into place and things were working, raising awareness and stuff.
"But then I thought about these kits and I realized that you don't need permission to put them out.
"You just need someone to be able to put them on their shops.
"And it turns out I wasn't the only person that was looking for a change in our community.
"And I wasn't an only person that was willing to hand over their hard earned cash to make sure that the public is safe and that they're safe and their family members are safe."
"I think it's absolutely massive and that they are here for prevention
"Because I think, if there were some people out here that had been stabbed back in the day, if there was one of these kits available there, possibly their life could have been saved because of it."
So far 5 kits have been installed in Ipswich so far. However they have a total of 37 emergency bleed kits that will be distributed across Suffolk soon, including the 5 already out.
Pauls efforts have not gone unnoticed and the local council have now reached out to Paul and offered to buy 11 kits and place them in all major parks in Ipswich
"the Council of now jumped on board with us finally. And they they've offered to buy US 11 boxes and we're getting them in all of the major parks in Ipswich.
"And then from there we are then gonna be getting them in all of the sports centres and then we're gonna try and get them in all of the schools as well."