A ‘bleed kit’ that could help save lives has been donated to a Coventry youth centre in memory of a teenager who tragically lost his life to knife crime.
Babacar Diagne was just 15 when he was stabbed around 20 times in an attack in the Wood End area of the city just over four years ago.
Three teenagers were convicted of his murder.
Babacar was said to have simply ‘been in the wrong place at the wrong time’, with no clear motive for the attack.
Babacar was being cared for by a foster family, and the youth council of his fostering agency FCA, has been fundraising in his memory.
They decided to buy a bleed kit and cabinet to help care for others in need of emergency treatment, and it will now be set up outside the Jubilee Crescent Community Centre where Babacar spent much of his free time with friends at Aptitude Youth.
The site is also one of the city’s new Safe Spaces – a network of safe havens set up by the Council through the Child Friendly Cov initiative in partnership with various venues and organisations where staff are trained to offer support to young people.
A bleed kit is a specialised trauma kit designed to provide bystanders with the tools they need to stop life-threatening bleeding until paramedics arrive,. They are now more widely available in public spaces, like shops, malls and venues, and contain equipment such as dressings, a tourniquet, gloves, and scissors.
Jane Moffat, Operational Lead ~ Early Help at the Council, said: “Babacar was a young man with his whole life infront of him when it was tragically taken away by knife crime.
“It is a wonderful idea by the fostering agency to honour his memory in this way. We all hope it is never used, but it is there in case anyone needs emergency care and it could prevent another senseless loss of life.
“Through Child Friendly Cov and Safe Spaces, we are working hard to make our city a place where children and young people feel safe and protected and to let them know they are all valued and loved.
“We have to give them the city they deserve and the youth centre is an important part of that work. Thank you to everyone involved for helping us to remember Babacar and pay tribute in such a wonderful way.”
The bleed kit was handed over to the centre by the young people behind the fundraising at a small event for people who knew Babacar.
Read more about Child Friendly Cov and Safe Spaces on the Council website.
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