Avanti West Coast team up with charity to roll out bleed kits at stations

BLEED control kits have been installed at all of Avanti West Coast's managed stations after the train operator backed a charity campaign to spread awareness of their importance.

Avanti West Coast has partnered with The Daniel Baird Foundation to provide additional protection for its customers and colleagues, over and above the existing 1st aid provision which already includes defibrillators on each of its trains and at its 16 stations.

The foundation was set up by Lynne Baird in 2017 with the mission of promoting greater access to bleed kits in the West Midlands following the tragic death of her son Daniel.

In the intervening years, Lynne's passion and energy, for which she received an MBE in the 2022 New Year's Honours list, has seen over 10,000 kits introduced in public places across the UK and as far afield as the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The bleed kits will sit alongside the existing 1st aid provision at stations and be accessible for employees to use in the event of an emergency.

David Whitehouse, Security Director at Avanti West Coast said:- "The safety of our people and customers is paramount. Accidents can happen at any time and bleed kits, put simply, can help save a life. We are incredibly proud to support the Foundation and would encourage others to join with Lynne to promote such an important cause."

Lynne Baird added:- "People shouldn't just associate a catastrophic bleed to a stabbing. There are many other causes such as from a car accident or a work related injury. We believe that having publicly accessible bleeding control packs in public places such as railway stations is vital. They provide the necessary 1st aid to help reduce blood loss until professional medical help arrives and I can't thank Avanti West Coast enough for their support."

Councillor Keiran Casey, who represents the Castle and Priory Ward in Dudley said:- "Lynne is an inspiration to us all and it's been an honour to support her work which is so vitally important. We're both extremely grateful to Avanti West Coast for supporting the campaign to help improve safety across the network and for rolling these kits out, they can genuinely save lives."

Merseyrail signs up to British Transport Police APP scheme

MERSEYRAIL have signed up to a new British Transport Police (BTP) app that aims to help passengers feel as safe as possible whilst travelling on the rail network.

The Railway Guardian app is a 2 way communication platform between British Transport Police and passengers, designed to encourage the reporting of a range of issues including:- anti social behaviour and criminal activity on the UK rail network.
The app allows concerned passengers to make a report straight to the BTP control room. BTP officers can then deploy to the nearest, or next, station where appropriate.

Not only does the app encourage reporting of unwanted behaviour, but it also includes content aimed at encouraging positive behavioural change by providing advice on what is acceptable.

The geographical location option also allows passengers to share their journey with loved ones.

Passengers can report any crimes or concerns via the Railway Guardian app. Under the 'Report' function, incidents can be reported to British Transport Police, Merseyrail, or anonymously to StreetSafe.

If passengers require emergency assistance, they should always call:- 999.

Aside from reporting security issues, passengers can also use it to register any problems they spot whilst travelling, such as wear and tear or maintenance issues.

Any report about stations or trains will be delivered directly to Merseyrail's customer relations team and those making reports will be kept updated about the progress in resolving the issue they have highlighted.

Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director of Merseyrail, said:- "While our network is 1 of the safest in the UK, with passengers responding to customer surveys telling us they feel safe while travelling with us, we continue to work hard to ensure this remains the case. By partnering with British Transport Police in the development of this app, we are helping to ensure that criminal behaviour including anti social behaviour will have no place on our network. The ability for people to report on issues at stations and on trains will really help us to ensure passengers receive the service they expect. It could be an issue with lighting, overgrown vegetation, or a matter relating to the car park or cycle storage; whatever the problem this will be a quick, easy, and efficient way for our passengers to make us aware of any problems they might spot. Our passengers expect to be able to travel in comfort and to feel safe and secure. Merseyrail is proud of how safe the network is, and we will keep working hard to ensure this continues to be the case."

The app can be downloaded from:- BTP.Police.UK.