Redditch school gets bleed kit as anti-knife crime campaigner aims to give one to every school in the area
Redditch's Pete Martin has installed 20 so far across the town
Last updated 16th Sep 2025
A Worcestershire anti-knife crime campaigner says he is on a mission to install bleeds kits to every school in Redditch.
Pete Martin, who opened a new youth community centre in Redditch last April as a way of deterring people away from crime, started knife crime prevention work 15 years ago after his best friend was stabbed.
So far he's taught over 50,000 young people in schools and colleges in the area about the dangers of knife crime and aims to educate more.
What is a bleed kit?
A bleed kit, or a bleed control kit, contains equipment inside of it which can help someone to stop and control severe bleeding.
It allows for people to be able to provide what could be life-saving treatment in the time it takes for the emergency services to arrive.
Delivering kits across Redditch
Pete says he has so far delivered 20 bleeds kits to schools in the area and wants to make sure they all gain access to one.
The latest school to receive one as part of Pete's goal is Ridgeway Secondary School.
He says it's vital schools have the equipment they need available to them so they can react in the event of any severe bleeding.
"These kits are really crucial in being able to save people's lives," he said.
"The initial plan was to provide every school that wanted one bleed kit in Redditch with one, we've done that now and installed 20 and we're working with those who haven't got one yet.
"With any sort of catastrophic bleed, bleeding is one of the most preventable causes of death if you can act promptly, so these kits can provide a very quick response to bleeding while you're waiting for an ambulance to arrive."
Louisa Hare is the deputy safeguarding lead for the school, who have welcomed the installing of the kit.
She says having it on hand is going to be really useful for them.
"If we were in an emergency situation, we would want that to hand," she said.
We all want to think it won't happen here but we're also not naïve to the fact any emergency situation could happen in school or up the road."
Impact of Netflix's drama Adolescence
Pete says Netflix crime drama Adolescence is a real 'eye opener' for people on the topic of knife crime, which focuses on a teenage boy arrested for the murder of a young girl.
The prime minster Sir Keir Starmer recently backed calls to show the series in schools, with Netflix announcing on Monday it would be available to all secondary schools across the UK through Into Film+.
Mrs Hare says it'll be important for pupils to be able to see the impact of knife crime from different angles.
"Our students along with other young people they're all seeing things on social media now so they will see something on there, which is miles away, but they'll think it's happening here in our community.
"Adolescence is all about the family and what the family went through and I just think it's important for our young people to see that."
The government pledged in September to halve knife crime in a decade, with the prime minister saying he would be looking at bringing in new measures to make it tougher to buy knives online following the Southport attack last summer.