Peckham Rye Park, the site where a 29-year-old man lost his life to a stabbing last year, now has a life-saving bleed control kit.
Lisa Pearson, a local woman who has been campaigning to get these kits installed across London, said she is happy to finally see a bleed kit in a park.
“This area is not well-lit and there’s nothing around here should someone get into a situation where they need life-saving equipment,” she said.
Peckham Rye Park is the first park in London where a life-saving cabinet has been installed.
It was also the site of a fatal stabbing last year outside the cafe on Strakers Road on December 30.
The kit, containing a tourniquet, gloves, gauze and lots more equipment, can be used by the public to treat incidents involving traumatic blood loss.
This one also includes a defibrillator – a device that gives a high-energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest.
There are three publicly-accessible cabinets now in Southwark, but Lisa added that it is proving difficult to get people on board.
“We focus on keeping young people safe. We’re trying to get these pieces of equipment into every area across the whole of London.
“There seems to be a stigma of people not wanting to be associated with stabbings – and that is understandable. This is not a solution but we have to do something to save the lives that are being lost.”
Relatedarticles
Although these kits are a response to the violence the capital has seen, they can be used to prevent any situation from becoming fatal.
“This equipment can be used in an emergency by anyone at any time to stop bleeding – such as for road collisions or if someone collapses,” Lisa explained.
The cabinet is located on the outside of Peckham Rye Park cafe – and is easy to use. When somebody dials 999 to report an incident, control staff direct the caller to the nearest kit and tell them, step-by-step, how to treat the victim.
Community Engagement Officer for the Met Police, Nigel Pearce said this could be the difference between a life saved and a life lost. “I think it’s wonderful,” he said.
“It would be fantastic to see as many first aid kits and defibrillators put around for a number of reasons – I’m not just talking about the most serious crimes. Any help that we can provide to any person, of any age, of any background from any community will absolutely benefit all of us.”
He said from his experience, a rapid response is often ‘crucial’ to saving a life.
“It’s not a solution – but it’s key that this kit is there to assist people to fill that gap between medical professionals arriving.”
These kits have already been used to save stab victims in Birmingham’s China Town, a secondary school student in Wolverhampton, and a Scottish man who fell off a roof and impaled himself on a spike.
For information about getting involved with the campaign or how to get a bleed kit in your area, email [email protected].
You can also contact them via Instagram.
