Plumbing firm's mission to save lives across Bristol

The boss of a plumbing and heating firm has been giving his workers a different kind of job of late - installing potentially life-saving bleed kits in locations right across Bristol.

Ashton Williams, who runs AMW Plumbing & Heating, got on board the campaign led by Leanne Reynolds, from the Daniel Baird Foundation, after the tragic deaths of so many young people in Bristol in the past year.

But instead of pledging to donate money to buy one for his local area, Mr Williams bought 10, told Leanne he and his staff would do the physical installation work once she found the sites, and not only that, but the AMW boys are also getting busy installing even more bleed kits and bleed control cabinets that Leanne's campaign has secured in even more locations.

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The bleed kits can be potentially life-saving and aren't necessarily linked to people who suffer stab wounds - Bristol Live reported earlier this year on a young boy whose leg, and possibly his life too, was saved after he suffered a freak injury falling over in the street, because a bleed kit had just been installed at a local martial arts club.

The cabinets allow the bleed kits to be publicly accessible, in much the same way as the community defibrillators that have become a common sight in and around Bristol in recent years, and AMW Plumbing & Heating are the unlikely company at the forefront of the roll-out of bleed kits across the city.

The first was installed at the Norman Scott Park Pavilion in Patchway, and more have followed at a wide range of sites from the outside of the Lebeq Tavern on Stapleton Road in Easton, to the Asda stores in Bedminster and Whitchurch.

Only one of the original 10 kits and cabinets bought by AMW remains not yet installed, but as well as the nine that have, at least another seven have been provided by Leanne's efforts with the Daniel Baird Foundation, and installed by AMW.

Now, their efforts have got the civic seal of approval. In one of the final duties before his time as Lord Mayor ended, Cllr Paul Goggin gave his backing to the installation of a bleed kit cabinet on the side of the Hartcliffe & Withywood Partnership offices at the Symes Centre, close to Morrisons in the middle of Hartcliffe.

Mr Williams paid tribute to Leanne Reynolds' efforts. "This lady deserves the real recognition for her endless work day and night towards this, and many years of hard work," he said. "This partnership has just started and we will support her until she has achieved what she is aiming for today."