Parish works with knife-crime charity to install life-saving equipment
Tuesday 13th May 2025Two life-saving pieces of equipment have been installed at the parish centre of a Roman Catholic church just streets away from where a teenager was fatally stabbed in 2021.
The Roman Catholic Parish of Our Lady and St Alphonsus has installed a defibrillator and emergency bleed control cabinet at its parish centre in Old Trafford.
Located in Powell Street, the parish centre attached to St Alphonsus RC Church, is just a stone’s throw away from where 16-year-old Rhamero West was killed in September 2021.
The equipment was installed following a dedicated fundraising effort from parishioner Kevin Williams, who also runs Old Trafford Amateur Boxing and Fitness Club from the parish centre.
Mr Williams raised funds for the equipment, in collaboration with staff from Trafford Council, to help provide a vital lifeline for people in the local community.
He said: “Statistics show that each year in Britain, around 30,000 people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital, of which 80 per cent happen at home and another 20 per cent occur in public places where, due to a lack of proximity to defibrillators, the victim is at most risk of death.
“On the back of the positive publicity gained from the installation of the defibrillator, we approached a local charity, which is run by a parent whose son was stabbed only a few streets away from the parish centre. After discussions took place, we accepted her kind offer of the installation of the bleed cabinet.”
Kelly Brown, mother of Rhamero West and founder of Mero’s World, was delighted to oversee the installation of the emergency bleed control cabinet and said: “The cabinet at Our Lady and St Alphonsus is one of many; we now have 63 cabinet across Greater Manchester as they are very much needed. This cabinet is only a street away to where Mero got stabbed and if there was a cabinet around then, there would have been a possibility he would be here today.”
“Our aim at Mero’s is to have them in every area, to prevent another family going through the pain and loss that I am still going through.”
Mero’s World is a Manchester-based charity founded by Ms Brown following the death of her son.
Over the past few years, the charity has worked with communities across greater Manchester to promote education around knife crime, support families who have lost children to knife crime, provide a safe space for young people, and help install emergency bleed control cabinets in community hubs such as St Alphonsus parish centre.
The installation of the equipment has also won the praise of local MP Andrew Western, Councillor Emma Hirst, and Councillor Waseem Hassan, who visited the centre to see this life-saving equipment and to give their support.
Cllr Hassan said: “It was a great pleasure to attend and give my full support to Kevin who is doing great work in Old Trafford. Many thanks to Kelly Brown.”
Andrew Western MP offered his thanks to everyone involved and paid tribute to the positive impact Mr William’s work has made on the local community.
He said: “A huge well done to everyone involved in making this happen, especially Kevin Williams, the club’s owner, who raised the funding for the defib through community networks.
“It is great that the club, which provides a great service for young people across our community, has spearheaded the drive for this community asset, which is located in the grounds of St Alphonsus Church, Old Trafford.”
Reflecting on how his faith inspires his call to community service, Mr Williams said: “I feel that community service deeply resonates within my Catholic faith as it embodies core principles such as caring for one another, solidarity, and the importance of trying to achieve a common good of making our community a better place.”
Tagged | Parishes
