THE first of several 'bleed boxes' have been installed in the Tyne Valley in memory of a girl who tragically died last year.
Holly Newton's parents, Micala and Lee Trussler, lost their 15-year-old daughter when she was stabbed and later died in Hexham on January 27, 2023.
The pair are fundraising to install three 'bleed boxes and critical injury kits' around the North East, starting with Hexham, Haltwhistle and Consett.
The first was installed at Hexham Abbey on Thursday, July 4.
Similar to public defibrillators, the kits contain first aid materials for use in emergency situations.
READ MORE: Family fundraising for three 'trauma kits' in towns and villages
Micala said: "We want to try to save at least one life. These boxes are just as important as the defibrillator boxes that are now in most communities.
"We want to have these boxes installed in Holly's memory. We hope to bring some good to such a tragic situation. The kits contain everything to help stop a major bleed. It contains gloves, a CPR facemask, trauma shears, a trauma dressing, a chest seal, homeostatic gauze and a tourniquet."
The GoFundMe page for the kits, which was set up in April, has raised £1,577 out of the £3,000 target.
There are also plans to create either an app or another way to spread awareness on social media of where the kits will be located.
Town and county councillor Suzanne Fairless-Aitken, who helped arrange for the kit to be installed at the Abbey, said: "The tireless work that Micala and Lee have put into their crusade against knife crime, in Holly’s name, is just incredible.
"This is the first and only 'bleed box' in Hexham, and hopefully will never need to be used and which the Abbey has kindly situated in their grounds. It is simple to use and extremely effective."
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics on January 18 revealed that knife crime rose by five per cent in the year to September 2023.
"Micala and Lee continue to fundraise in [Holly's] memory and work with partners, police and schools to increase awareness among our youngsters because sadly, this is a very real epidemic of our times - increasing five per cent each year. Parents need to have conversations with their children to raise awareness about the issue."
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