Erewash MP raises more than £1k so far for ‘Walk The 'Wash' bleed kits fundraiser

Erewash MP, Adam Thompson, has raised more than £1,000 in just over a week as he prepares to walk the length of his constituency to raise money for the installation of emergency bleed control kits in every pub and bar in Ilkeston.

The walk, starting from the bottom of Sawley to the top of Cotmanhay – covering 13 miles across the constituency’s towns and villages – will take place on 18th September.  

Like defibrillators, bleed control kits can be fitted in public places to control major bleeding in the vital minutes before an ambulance arrives, enabling people to act fast and save lives. 

The MP has already worked with Erewash Borough Council and Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts to get 10 kits installed around the Borough, but he now wants to go further and see kits put into every pub and bar in Ilkeston. 

The campaign has been launched following high-profile violent incidents in Ilkeston, and comes alongside a petition launched in coordination with the family of Samuel Wilson, who was murdered in a vehicle attack on Ilkeston market place in December 2023. 

Adam recently took senior officers from Derbyshire Police to see Ilkeston town centre with their own eyes, and has praised the force for ensuring an increase in police presence.

The more than £1,000 raised so far has been down to a mix of donations from both individuals and local businesses, along with a significant donation from major Ilkeston employer Wards Recycling, and some of Ilkeston’s town centre pubs. 

Adam Thompson MP said: “I’m really pleased that in just a week since we launched, the campaign for bleed control kits in Ilkeston has already raised more than £1,000. 

“I’ll keep raising awareness and updating people as my walk across Erewash approaches. I’m incredibly thankful to the local people and businesses who have already donated – the more money we raise, the more of these life-saving kits we can get, and the more lives in Ilkeston we can save.”