THE owner of a national security firm has pledged to donate the money needed for a foundation to produce 1,000 lifesaving stab packs for its door staff.

Steve Howe of Newcastle-based Phoenix Security which operates across the country, said he would donate around £1,000 to The Chris Cave Foundation to continue producing the emergency kits.

The Foundation was founded almost fifteen years ago after the fatal stabbing of Redcar teenager Chris Cave in 2003.

The charity was founded by Chris's mother, Theresa Cave in 2005 designed to 'kill violence on the streets' and offer support to those who had lost a loved one through knife crime.

Costing around £1 each, the packs that are put together by the foundation contain gloves, a pressure bandage, sterile wipes, a tampon to stem a bleed, a mouth mask for resuscitation and full instructions for use.

The equipment is said to make the difference between life or death following a stabbing.

Until recently, Ms Cave said it had become an "uphill struggle" to continue supplying the stab packs due to funding constraints.

But in response to a presentation held by Ms Cave on the dangers of knife crime, Mr Howe pledged the cash for the production and supply of the stab packs to his firm's door staff.

He said: "As a company, we have a social responsibility to ensure that we are in touch with the very people we are trying to protect, whether that be the general public, our clients or our staff.

"We are a member of the Approved Contractor Scheme governed by Security Industry Authority and take this responsibility very seriously.

"The talk from Theresa was very moving indeed and it highlighted the severity of the knife-crimes that are being carried out across the country."

Mr Howe said the stab packs would be distributed to door staff, working at pubs and clubs across the country.

Ms Cave added: “With knife crime on the rise these packs are essential and we cannot thank Steve Howe and Phoenix Security enough for supplying them.

"Although knife crime in the North-East is far lower than London, where 168 offences were recorded per 100,000 people last year, shock figures this year revealed the North East's rate of knife crime is, unfortunately rising.”