Widow of Newark stabbing victim campaigns for bleed kits

The widow of a man who was stabbed to death is campaigning to fund bleed kits in the town where he was killed.

James Cook, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene in Castle Gate in Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 1 May.

His widow, Adele, 55, is organising a sponsored hike up Snowdon in September to raise £2,000 for the kits, which can help stop severe bleeding.

“They can be the difference between life and death,” she said.

“We’ll never know [for sure] but it could have made a difference.

“I don’t want any other family to go through this.

“If I can save one person’s life then he didn’t die in vain, did he?”

Mrs Cook plans to campaign against knife crime – which will include talks in schools and colleges – and is currently fundraising for bleed kits.

The specialist kits are designed to provide treatment for someone suffering severe bleeding while waiting for emergency medics to arrive.

They contain bandages and tourniquets and would be placed in public places around the town.

The initial idea for the Snowdon trip was to help Mrs Cook process her grief.

She admitted she “doesn’t walk to the shops, never mind seven hours up a mountain”.

The plan was to go up the Welsh mountain and “scream and scream and scream until it all comes out”, but the idea grew and now she is being joined by about 16 other people.

She said: “Things are never going to be the same again.

“A song will come on the radio… it’s birthdays, it’s Christmas. It’s a living nightmare.

“He was loved by everyone and I just want to keep his memory alive.”

So far, the Cookie Crusaders have raised £170 of their £2,000 target.

Brandon Byrne, 22, of Winston Court, Newark, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Cook and another charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public.

His trial at Nottingham Crown Court is due to start in November.