Bereaved mum of murdered Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White hopes new 'bleed kits' will save others

Video report by Granada Reports' journalist, Ann O'Connor

The mother of Ava White, who was stabbed to death in Liverpool, has said the installation of life-saving bleed-control packs in her daughter's memory are "bittersweet."

The 37 kits have been placed in parish centres by the city's Archdiocese in support of the schoolgirl's family, who are campaigning to make it a legal requirement to have the medical equipment in all public places.

12-year-old Ava was murdered by a 14-year-old boy in a row over a Snapchat video on 25 November 2021.

She was in the city centre with friends to watch the Christmas lights switch-on.

Speaking at a life-saving training session, Ava's mother Leanne White said: "It's really bittersweet.

"It's a good thing that we're highlighting it and getting it out there but then it's also come at the cost of Ava losing her life.

"I just think if the kits were available at that time, it could have saved Ava's life."

Ever since her death, a foundation in Ava's name has worked to save other lives.

"This foundation has given me the reason to get out of bed because it's making me feel like Ava is still here, like she is still with me," Leanne added.

The foundation is funding the kits that could be used before ambulance crews or hospital staff can reach a victim.

Knifesavers a team of Merseyside emergency doctors like Olivia Villegas from the Royal Liverpool are training people to use the kits.

Nik Misra a trauma surgeon from Aintree Hospital wants the kits put in boxes in high profile locations everywhere.

"They can see a cabinet, they can see it's visible," he said. "They can see what to do, ring 999, get instructions on how to get access, where to call help too.

"I think it will make a difference, definitely, we have five documented cases where people have employed the bleeding control techniques, and the bandages and dressings inside to help other people who have been bleeding and that has person has survived."

The session comes as the kits were placed in parish centres by the city's Archdiocese.

Jill Boggan, director of finance at the Archdiocese of Liverpool, added: "People see them [churches] as a safe place to go to.

"We've let people know that we've got these kits, we're having all our staff trained within the parish centres and hopefully it'll just make that bit of difference in saving someone's life."

New figures show knife crime has fallen on Merseyside, but has risen in the rest of the country. Leanne hopes Ava's legacy will be to end the misery it brings.

Why are guns and gangs such a big problem on Merseyside? And what's being done to stop young people getting involved in organised crime?

We take a look in our podcast, From the North.