Brentwood: Supporting grandmother’s knife crime campaign

We were pleased to support Julie Taylor in her campaign against knife crime when she visited a Brentwood bar to give them a special bleed-control kit.

Praising Julie’s initiative to distribute the kits, Sgt James Bugden, of Brentwood Local Policing Team, says:

“Although we hope these kits will never have to be used, there is no doubt they will help to save lives if they are.”

Julie’s grandson Liam Taylor, 19, died after being stabbed in Writtle in January 2020. Three men were jailed for a total of 58-and-a-half years for his murder.

She set up the Liam Taylor Legacy in his memory, pledging to raise money to ‘buy as many defibrillators as we possibly can to help someone else when they need it the most’. Julie also helps to distribute London Ambulance Service approved bleed-control kits.

And this week, during our countywide knife amnesty, Julie visited the CKN Bar & Kitchen in King’s Road, Brentwood, to present them with one of the special kits, which contain tourniquets, bandages and chest seals to stop catastrophic bleeding as a result of a knife wound, gunshot wound or road traffic collision.

Julie regularly speaks at events and accompanies police to schools to talk to children about knife crime and tell Liam’s story.

And she works tirelessly to help distribute the bleed-control kits, which are funded by the Daniel Baird Foundation, set up by Daniel’s mother Lynne after his fatal stabbing in Birmingham in July 2017.

Recently, Julie has also presented kits to The Garrison Tavern in Chelmsford High Street – where staff and customers have been fundraising for the Liam Taylor Legacy – The Queen Victoria pub in Spital Road, Maldon; Maldon’s Plume Academy; and The Lounge Bar in Braintree Market Place.

Our knife amnesty runs until Sunday and if you have knives to hand in, you can do so at special knife bins placed at 14 sites across the county.

• Basildon Police Station, Great Oaks SS14 1EJ
• Braintree Police Station, Blyth’s Meadow CM7 3DJ
• Brentwood Town Hall, Ingrave Road CM15 8AY
• Canvey Island Police Station, Long Road SS8 0JD
• Chelmsford Police Station, New Street CM1 1NF
• Clacton Police Station, Beatrice Road CO15 1ET
• Colchester Police Station, Southway, CO3 3BU
• Grays Police Station, Brook Road RM17 5BX
• opposite Great Dunmow Library, White Street CM6 1AB
• Harlow Police Station, The High CM20 1HG
• Harwich Park Pavilion, Barrack Lane CO12 3NS
• Maldon District Council office, Princes Road CM9 5DL
• opposite Chalvedon Social Club, Chalvedon Square, Pitsea SS13 3QX
• Rayleigh Police Station, High Street SS6 7QB
• Southend Police Station, Victoria Avenue SS2 6ES