Swansea City AFC Foundation community vehicles to carry critical bleed control kits

Swansea City AFC Foundation is delighted to confirm a number of its vehicles have been equipped with critical bleed control (CBC) kits.

Melanie James from Heartbeat Trust UK launched the initiative in 2024 when the first CBC kit was placed into a defibrillator box in Swansea, which started a region-wide movement throughout West Glamorgan.

There are now approximately 600 CBC kits available for the public to use in case of an emergency, and the Swans Foundation have supported the campaign by purchasing seven kits of their own which will now be carried within Foundation vehicles.

In November 2025, James and colleague Douglas Dawson provided training to all Swansea City AFC Foundation staff, who gained knowledge on the background of the initiative and practical skills on how to use the CBC kits.

“We’ve trained all of our staff on how to use them,” said Claire Atherton, head of people and culture at Swansea City AFC Foundation.

“Accidents do happen and you never know when you might need to help someone, so we’re delighted to equip our staff with these kits.

“We’ve got seven community vans which cover different parts of Swansea, Pembrokeshire, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and beyond so we can take these critical bleed kits far and wide.”

James added: "The Swans Foundation do a lot of good work in the community, delivering programmes right throughout the region to all ages.

“This is a very exciting step to have them on board by purchasing the seven kits which will provide that extra layer of public safety.

“I’m blown away by the support. We wouldn’t have a provision without the support, and that support has come from so many different places. The initiative is getting bigger and bigger, people recognise that it’s life-saving.”