Bleed kit and defibrillator installed in phone box
A new defibrillator and bleed kit have been installed in a disused phone box as part of a community youth project.
The emergency kit is located in the newly renovated King George Telephone Box outside of St Paul's Church on Portland Square, Bristol.
The telephone box has been cleaned and painted by student volunteers from the City of Bristol College and the King's Trust.
Dan Broadbent, event manager at Circomedia who started the project, said: "The defibrillator has actually been used three times already and it's only been there for a month. Before this there wasn't a defibrillator anywhere near here so we thought it was a really important thing to do."
More news stories for Bristol
Watch the latest Points West
Listen to the latest news for Bristol
Mr Broadbent added: "I think everyone has to do their part in the community. We've been here for 20 years and we wanted to do our part to support people."
Muna Shafie is a lecturer at City of Bristol College and team leader at the King's Trust, working with young people who are not in education or training.
As part of the programme, the young people have to do a community project - and decided to renovate the phone box ready to house the emergency kits.
"It was really impactful to get young people engaged," Ms Shafie said.
"It was good for them to have that experience and be able to give back. They were really keen and enthusiastic."
Ibrahim Yusuf, one of the students who helped paint the phone box, said: "It was fun, the people I was working with, it's something you just enjoy doing. Giving back to the community."
All materials had been donated and the equipment, worth £5,000, was donated by the Great Western Air Ambulance and Bin the Blade.
Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Bleed control kits installed to help save lives
What's inside a bleed kit and how to use them
'Lifesaving' bleed kits installed using grants
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
I buy my children vapes to try to control their addiction
Emma is doing something she swore she would never do. In an attempt to have some control over her children's vaping habits, she's resorted to buying them the vapes herself. She's not proud of it, but says it feels like the only way to keep her two teenagers safe and reduce the high levels of nicotine they were consuming. "It went against every bone in my body to do that, but they're addicted," Emma says. "It's not a simple case of telling them to stop – it is so much harder than that." Emma believes her son, who she has asked the BBC not to name, began vaping in primary school. He managed to keep it from her for a while, but by the time he got to high school, his protests of "that vape's not mine" had started to wear thin. By the time Emma's son was 15, he was becoming breathless, contracted tonsillitis, and, at one point, was in so much pain, Emma called an ambulance. "The paramedics said the incessant vaping could be causing this," she says. "They told him to try and stop, or at the very least cut down." It was then Emma decided something had to change – she was going to take control and buy the vapes - trying to reduce their nicotine intake from 20mg to 10mg. "I warned them – if I see them with a device that has more nicotine in – then I'll stop buying them any, full stop." Emma says she felt she could then be confident the vapes would be from a reputable supplier, they wouldn't be illegal and contain other harmful products, and she could control the level of nicotine. Stop telling me to lower my cortisol - it's making me stressed! People say cola and fries are helping their migraines - but there's a twist 'WeightWatchers set me up to fail' - Why diet industry is losing to jabs like Ozempic Not only is it illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18, it is also illegal to buy them for anyone underage. Emma knows what she is doing isn't legal, but feels this was her only choice. She believes she has managed to reduce her son's nicotine intake, in part by buying the vapes, but also by having such an open conversation with him. But Emma says the disposable vape ban, which came into effect on 1 June, has had little impact on her children's nicotine consumption. It was introduced due to environmental concerns and to reduce the rising number of children and young people vaping. While vapes provide a far healthier alternative to cigarettes, there are concerns that vaping provides a gateway into nicotine addiction - with disposable vapes enticing children and young people with their fruity flavours and cheap prices. Health experts agree anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping, as it may cause long-term damage to the lungs, heart and brain. But weeks after the ban came into force, Kate Pike from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, says she fears it won't make any difference - and she says some rechargeable vapes, which are still legal to buy, are being marketed directly at children. "We are finding compliant products – vapes that are refillable and rechargeable – with packs of stickers in them," she says. "What adult is going to want to decorate their vape with stickers?" She also says it is very difficult to tell the difference between the now-illegal disposables and the legal refillable vapes. And due to some being fitted with pre-filled pods, they are still being used "like disposable vapes and discarded." At Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, home to the UK's first NHS vaping clinic for children, Professor Rachel Isba says parents should not be hard on themselves – they are fighting a battle against the might of a huge vaping industry. "The important thing is not to judge your child; the world our young people live in is a difficult place to grow up in," she says. "There are so many competing pressures." Her clinic supports 11-15-year-olds who have been referred by other NHS healthcare professionals. It has been open since January and already has a six-week waiting list. "The children that come to see me have to want to see me and understand why they are here," Prof Isba says. "It could be that they are noticing a change with their bodies – they struggle to play sport without being out of breath for instance, or they're coughing up blood, or they just know they're addicted and they want to stop or cut down." She says some young people are sleeping with vapes under their pillows so they can get a nicotine hit in the middle of the night, and their addiction can be so strong they experience "micro withdrawals" in school. "They are consuming nicotine so frequently that they begin to feel anxious if they don't have it – even for the length of a double maths lesson, for example." They then think they need the vape to reduce the anxiety, she explains, but it is nicotine withdrawal that is causing those feelings in the first place. Prof Isba offers nicotine replacement therapy – such as gums and patches – and talks to them about how vaping affects their lives. "We might discuss ways they might be able to cut down, what triggers them to vape and even how much money they might save simply by not vaping." She says the government's Tobacco and Vapes bill is a good step forward but would like to see more paediatric addiction services across the NHS. The problem is "far greater" than her clinic, she says, and she is concerned vaping could become a gateway drug into smoking and other dependences. Dan from Twickenham, a father of three boys, agrees. He says the conversation about youth vaping is redundant because, he says, that "horse has bolted". His 17-year-old got expelled from school in February because he was caught with cannabis in his vape, and his 14-year-old was close to losing his school place recently because of a similar issue. "Vaping is a gateway drug," Dan says. "They become addicted to nicotine and then harder stuff follows. "They've definitely smoked [cigarettes] and now my eldest is addicted to nicotine pouches. It's never ending." A government spokesperson told the BBC it was taking "tough action" to tackle youth vaping - including giving Trading Standards the power to issue £200 on-the-spot fines to anyone found selling tobacco or vapes to people underage. They also added that single-use vapes were a "blight on our streets" and that the government had made it compulsory for all vape retailers to provide recycling bins.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Supermarkets to introduce healthy food standard under government plans to tackle obesity
A healthy food standard will be introduced for supermarkets and other retailers as part of government plans to tackle obesity levels in the UK.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
School sun safety lessons trialled to tackle skin cancer
Children as young as five are being taught how to check UV levels and apply sunscreen, as part of a new pilot aimed at reducing future skin cancer cases. The initiative, currently being trialled in primary schools across Kent, is planned to be introduced into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons nationwide from 2026. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is linked to UV exposure - and experts say sunburn in childhood significantly increases the risk later in life. In 2021, around 18,300 people were diagnosed with melanoma in the UK, according to Cancer Research. That figure is projected to rise to 21,300 by 2026, the charity says. Michelle Baker, from the charity Melanoma Fund, which is behind the education project, said changing children's habits early is key. "People think melanoma is an older person's disease," she says, "but it's often seeded in childhood." She says the project aims to "grow skin cancer out of the next generation". Giving children a sense of control and responsibility for their sun protection is central to this. "We're saying this is your superpower," she adds. At Platt Primary school in Maidstone, pupils are learning to read UV indexes, apply sunscreen properly, and understand when they need protection. Headteacher Emma Smith said the pupils have been "really receptive". "If we educate them early, they're more likely to keep that knowledge as they get older - especially when social media starts to influence their choices." The childhood sun safety drive comes as Cancer Research UK says the rise in melanoma cases among adults is a particular cause for concern. A recent study from the charity found that cancer deaths cost the UK economy £10.3bn a year, more than any other health condition – underlining the importance of preventative measures. Consultant dermatologist Dr Katie Lacy says that educating children about how to look after their skin is key to reducing melanoma rates. Research shows that nine out of 10 cases are caused by UV exposure from the sun and sunbeds. Getting sunburnt regularly increases the chances of skin cancer. Dr Lacy stresses there is no such thing as a "safe tan", explaining that tanning is a response to skin damage. "Most melanomas don't come from existing moles - so if you notice something new, get it checked," she adds. She also highlights the growing role of AI in screening suspicious moles within the NHS - which could help streamline referrals to specialist services. The ABCDE checklist can help identify if a mole is abnormal: A - asymmetrical (does the mole have an uneven shape?) B - border (are the edges blurry or jagged?) C - colour (is it an uneven colour with different shades and tones?) D - diameter (is the mole bigger than your other ones?) E - evolving (is it changing, such as starting to itch, bleed or become crusty?) Source: Cancer Research UK For Kara Leece, diagnosed with melanoma at 29, the message is personal. "If I'd had that education at primary school, I think I could've prevented it," she told BBC News. "Now I have a scar that reminds me of what I've been through. When children ask about it, I tell them my story - because I don't want this to happen to anyone else." Try to keep children in the shade between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest Kit them out with wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and clothing to cover their skin. Sunscreen is also very important - apply it regularly and generously, and make sure it's at least SPF 30 and four or five stars Source: Cancer Research UK Melanoma skin cancer cases rising in UK Suncream should be everywhere - cancer sufferer Comic Ryan diagnosed with skin cancer for second time
