LIFE-SAVING bleed control kits are being installed across Billericay thanks to a bereaved grandmother on a mission to fight knife crime. 

Julie Taylor and the Billericay Roundtable and Lions Club have joined forces to dish out kits to both the Billericay School and Cristi’s Cocktail Bar, in the High Street, this week with three more kits to be delivered in coming weeks. 

She has spearheaded a campaign to educate people on knife crime and help save lives since her grandson, Liam, was stabbed to death in 2020 in Writtle, Essex. 

Public-access bleed control kits are specialist first aid kits which include several items which could potentially save a life.

Julie told the Echo: “My grandson was taken by knife crime. We don’t want any other families to suffer the way we have.”

On Tuesday, Julie presented kits to The Billericay School and the recently-opened Cristi’s cocktail bar. 

Three more kits are set to be delivered to another school and two more high street venues in the next couple of weeks.

Echo:

Donated by the Liam Taylor Legacy, five kits have helped save six lives in Essex within the last year. 

Julie added: “Every place needs one, we don’t hand-pick the locations. The kits should just be everywhere.”

The Lions Club funded seven kits which were handed out previously. Billericay Roundtable helped fund five additional kits.

“We’re just so grateful for their support and for them helping to keep the whole community safe,” Julie said.

“They’re so important because they stop catastrophic bleeding.”

David Durrant, community service liaison officer at Billericay Roundtable, said: “Julie initially came to us for a donation of one bag. However, we discussed it at a meeting and decided to fund five in total.

“It’s an amazing cause.”

On Thursday, Julie will donate nine more kits to venues in Southend and Leigh. She has used her £1,000 Hero of Southend prize to fund the kits. The city will have a total of 18 bags and one 24-hour accessible cabinet.

Echo:

There are 10 bleed kits in Billericay already, with three more to come. They are available in case of emergency from venues such as Wetherspoons, Harry’s Bar, The Chequers, The Red Lion, The Railway, The Crown, and French Martini.

There are now 250 critical bleed kits at locations throughout Essex. The money raised by the Liam Taylor Legacy has also provided two defibrillators and several 24-hour access units. Each public-access specialist first aid kit costs £102 to supply.