More than 3,000 school children and members of the public across Greater Manchester have been taught vital skills around how to recognise and stop life-threatening bleeds.
‘Stop the Bleed Day’ is an annual initiative created in partnership between Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit and charity, citizenAID.
Since the pilot in 2023, schools across the city-region have welcomed trained volunteers to deliver demonstrations to students. The training has been so well received that authorities in the West Midlands have also adapted the format to offer training to their residents too.
After two successful ‘Stop the Bleed’ days in schools, the VRU recently worked with Transport for Greater Manchester, Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Police to roll out the offer to commuters at Altrincham Interchange during Operation Sceptre – the national week of action for police forces tackling knife crime.
The aim was to pilot a public-facing opportunity and highlight how quick and easy life-saving skills can be to learn. Around 120 people were engaged with overall, which also included young people on their way home from school.
Local resident, Liberty Chrismas, 31 said: “I thought I knew a lot of this already but actually, that two-minute demonstration made me realise I wasn’t as informed as I’d thought.
“You never know when you’re going to need these skills – you could come across or be involved in an accident and especially as a new parent, I want to make sure I’m prepared for any situation.”
The initiative teaches people simple techniques such as applying pressure, packing a wound and applying a tourniquet.
Dr. Rachel Jenner, A&E doctor and the VRU’s clinical lead said: “If someone has an accident, is a victim of knife-crime or becomes injured in a mass-casualty incident, the single most preventable cause of death is bleeding, so it’s really important that we support as many people as possible with the knowledge around how to control this.
“The events in schools and the recent session at Altrincham Interchange are a partnership effort between the VRU and other organisations, which is fantastic because collective support in this way can lead to real impact and positive outcomes.
“As a VRU, we’re committed to working in a multi-agency way and put people at the heart of everything we do. We’re looking forward to the prospect of rolling out more public sessions in the future with the support of our partners and members of the public.”
