Our own community Chit Chat group on Facebook, for Great Wyrley, Chairperson’s Sarah Wiggin & Lee Murphy have raised more than £500 in 48 hours to replace the bleed kit on the Wall of the Co-op, in Wardles Lane, which had been installed in June last year. The special trauma bandages and kit delivered care to the man that was shoot in Field Lane until the ambulance crew came.
The community Group opted to install bleed kits in the village after several violet incidents on the railway line. The group contacted the Daniel Baird Foundation which has installed more than 15,000 kits across the country in memory of Daniel who was stabbed to death in Digbeth in 2017.
The Community group reached a £1,000 in donations since. This will fund the replacement bleed kit in the Great Wyrley Cabinet and more have been ordered to distribute round the village. Chairman of the Chit Chat Group Lee Murphy says “We decided to get the two cabinets after hearing a knife was seen on the train line through Landywood and we thought knife crime was getting too close for comfort. We also know that they can be used for any other catastrophic bleed.” The successful fundraising drive is the latest in a long line of contributions to the community by the volunteers who wanted to make a difference.
The Chit Chat Facebook page was formed in 2017 with a focus on crime watch and became an official community group in 2018 expanded into further projects such as tidying the village, adopting Landywood Station and campaigning for better bus services. They successfully helped to significantly reduce a spate of vehicle thefts and break-ins. And worked with Staffordshire Police, South Staffs Council, Support Staffs and West Midlands Railway. During Covid-19 they worked Chase Coronavirus Support Network and, with volunteers, delivered postcards to every household offering information for those that needed anything (eg. pharmacy, collections, shopping, etc.) After Covid they launched a campaign to help small businesses in the village to recover by encouraging people to use them and offer free advertising on Facebook. Lee Murphy said “We all work towards making the community better, there is myself and Sarah Wiggin, trustees Tony and Gillian are retired friends and have become local celebs – they go out daily litter picking at the station and round the village. Olwen is our treasurer and social media helper. Follow the Local Chit Chat group on Facebook