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Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, which covers Gloucestershire and is based just a ten-minute air ambulance flight from the Cheltenham and Gloucester, is raising awareness of its vital bleed control training following the arrival of the iconic ‘Knife Angel’ this month.
As part of its National Youth Anti-Violence Tour, Alfie Bradley and The British Ironworks Centre’s Knife Angel has stopped outside Gloucester Cathedral for the duration of February 2023.
The 27-foot-high sculpture made from 100,000 seized blades tributes to the lives lost through thoughtless actions, while highlighting the negative side effects of violent and aggressive behaviour.
Over the last ten years, knife crime in Gloucestershire has increased by 64 per cent, with the pre-hospital emergency service crew at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity responding to more than one knife related incidents per week across the region. In light of the visit from the Knife Angel, the charity is raising awareness of its free bleed control training that is provided to schools, businesses and community groups across the region.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has also recently implemented one of its Bleed Control Kits in its local charity shop, situated in Eastgate Shopping Centre in Gloucester City Centre.
Nicole Beebee, Gloucestershire fundraising executive at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “The visit from the Knife Angel sculpture is a poignant reminder of the growing concerns around knife crime in the region.
“At Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, we are committed to building awareness of not only the effects of knife crime, but how to rapidly respond to knife-related injuries should our community ever need to. Catastrophic bleed control is an integral part of our Mission Support training we provide across the county, where we demonstrate how to use a bleed control kit in the event of an emergency, giving bystanders the skills and confidence to assist before we even arrive on scene.
“That is why we have also introduced our bleed control kit in our Gloucester charity shop. We hope people never have to use it but recognise that it is a vital resource in times of emergency.”
The Knife Angel will be in Gloucester until 27th February alongside a series of events, workshops and other activities across the city.
Find out more about the charity’s Mission Support training and how to book a place, by visiting midlandsairambulance.com/education.
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