Student paramedic to take on Virtual London Marathon after tragic family loss
“When you look into it, you realise just how many victims of knife crime there are out there.”
After what will feel like the longest training period in history, student paramedic at the ambulance service covering Shropshire, Amber Barrett, is poised and ready to take part in this year’s Virtual London Marathon on Sunday.
With this year’s race postponed from April to October, and now rescheduled as a ‘virtual’ marathon, suffice to say it has not been an easy ride, but for Amber it will all be worth it.
Not only has it been a dream of hers to compete in the London Marathon, she also wants to raise vital funds for a charity very close to her heart.
Amber is hoping to raise as much money as she can for the Daniel Baird Foundation, which does work around knife crime. Amber tragically lost her nephew Connor to knife crime in another part of the UK six years ago.
As a student paramedic at West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), Amber knows all too well how heartbreakingly-common instances of stabbings will be for her once she heads out on the road. Between April 2019 and March 2020, WMAS responded to 1,451 emergency incidents where the chief complaint was identified as ‘stabbing’ by the caller. That’s an average of four stabbings in the West Midlands a day.
The ambulance service has worked in partnership with the Daniel Baird Foundation to develop bleed control kits, which can be found at locations across the region.
Awareness
Amber, in her first year as a student paramedic, said: “If and when I do start working out on the road, I honestly don’t know how it’ll make me feel, given my personal experience. I think I’ll be able to remain professional in that time, and afterwards it will be something I can reflect upon.
“I absolutely believe that education and getting into schools is the way to try and tackle knife crime, not only to help raise awareness with children and young people, but also with parents. It’d be great to get more workshops going to help parents understand the signs to look out for.
"One thing I have learned from researching knife crime after being directly affected by it myself, is that knife crime and stabbings aren’t just affecting your stereotypical groups of people. It can and is affecting anyone. But hopefully, if people aren’t carrying knives in the first place, we can slowly start to see a reduction in cases.”
Lynne Baird, founder of the Daniel Baird Foundation, said: “We would like to thank WMAS and its chief executive Anthony Marsh for his continued support for our campaign. The advice and assistance from the executive team has been invaluable since we launched.
"We’d also like to say a massive thank you to Amber for her support and fundraising.”
To support Amber, visit gofundme.com/f/amber039s-campaign-for-the-daniel-baird-foundation
