Oxford City Council has teamed up with an Oxford-based theatre group to install bleed kits across the city.
In emergency situations, bleed kits enable members of the public to stop severe blood loss before paramedics arrive. Severe bleeding can lead to death within minutes, so the bleed kits could save lives.
It follows Oxford City Council’s Knife Crime Summit on 2 September, where attendees including Thames Valley Police, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, and the Police and Crime Commissioner discussed the work being carried out to tackle knife crime and serious violence, and agreed this remains a priority.
In 2023-24, knife crime in Oxford was at its lowest level for the past 5 years, however, there have been high-profile unrelated incidents in Oxford earlier in the year. Oxford City Council was already working with Thames Valley Police to install bleed kits across Oxford, but then writer and actor Claire Nelson reached out.
Claire performed Motherhood, a solo show about the impact of knife crime on parents, as part of the Offbeat festival on 11 September. As part of the show, Claire wanted to raise money to install bleed kits across Oxford.
The Council teamed up with Claire to install at least five bleed kits in community locations across Oxford.
Bleed kits
Bleed kits contain medical equipment, including tourniquets and gauze, to control bleeding and stabilize an injured person until professional medical help arrives.
Similar to defibrillators, the bleed kits are stored in secure cabinets on the outside of buildings. Emergency call handlers provide the key code access to the cabinets during an emergency incident.
There are many defibrillators available across Oxford, including in Oxford Town Hall, but there are currently no public bleed kits.
It has not yet been decided where the bleed kits will be located, but it is likely to be in community or leisure centres.
Motherhood theatre performance
Claire performed Motherhood at Burton Taylor Studio in Gloucester Street, Oxford on Wednesday 11 September.
The production starts with a woman opening her front door at 2am to police officers, who inform her that her teenage son has been stabbed. It is set in Oxford and is based on real events and lived experience.
The production featured an original soundscape created by In-Spire Sounds, an Oxford-based recording studio that supports young people from marginalised backgrounds through music.
In-Spire Sounds is run by Samuel Mansell, who is also Claire’s son.
Offbeat, which took place between 9 and 15 September, is an annual festival that supports emerging talent in Oxford.
To donate money to install bleed kits in Oxford, please visit the Crowdfunder page.
“I was inspired to write this from some lived experience. This has made the writing and development of the show a very personal journey for me. Knife-crime is an issue that confronts so many families, destroys lives and changes lives forever.”
Claire Nelson, "Motherhood" writer and performer
“I hope these bleed kits are never used, but I also know they could potentially be lifesaving. Oxford is a city where safety is a top priority, and we are committed to making it safer every day. While knife crime remains rare here, we know that even one incident is one too many. These bleed kits are part of a larger strategy to ensure that our communities are prepared in the rare event of an emergency. These projects always work best when the Council, Police and community work together, so we’re delighted to be working with Claire and Samuel, and really pleased that their efforts could see bleed kits installed across the city.”Councillor Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for A Safer Oxford
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