Be positive and give blood

AN appeal has been launched for younger people to step up to give blood in Dorset.

NHS Blood and Transplant says that more than half of the active blood donors in the county are over the age of 45.

It is encouraging more young people to register to give blood as part of National Blood Week which comes to an end tomorrow.

The week is aimed at encouraging people to find out more about blood and blood donation – or to ‘Know Blood, Give Blood’.

Geraldine Parker, NHS Blood and Transplant’s lead donor relations manager for Dorset, said: “We value all of our existing donors.

“But want to build up our donor base to maintain a steady supply of blood, which has a short shelf life, to help save and improve patient lives.

“In the last 12 months, a total of 5,538 people from Dorset signed up to donate blood, which is fantastic. We want to build on this to ensure we always have the right number of donors of the different blood groups to meet patient needs. “For this year’s National Blood Week, we hope the people of Dorset will choose to sign up or come back and give blood to help save a life.”

NHS Blood and Transplant says that market research has shown that seven out of ten 16 to 21-year-olds want to know more about the blood donation process before deciding whether to donate.


It hopes that extra knowledge will prompt more people to become donors, ensuring a steady supply of blood for NHS patients. Potential and existing donors in Dorset can also find out what being a platelet donor involves.

The blood component, platelets, are collected in just 24 centres in the country and one of those centres is in Poole.

Platelets are tiny cells in the blood which help to stem blood loss by enabling clotting and can be used to help cancer or leukaemia sufferers undergoing chemotherapy.

Anyone aged between 17-65, weighing more than 50kg or 7st 12lbs, and in general good health can become a blood donor.

There is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years. Visit blood.co.uk for more details.

Things people often don’t know about blood donation and how blood is used include:

lIt’s not just used in A&E – blood is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses, including many types of cancers
Blood is collected to meet patient need – this need varies by blood group so sometimes registering helps especially if there is more demand for blood from a particular blood group
 New donors are always needed – each year people have to stop donating due to health issues, pregnancy and foreign travel
Most people can be a donor – it’s really easy to check if you meet the criteria at <&bh"http://www.blood.co.uk/">blood.co.uk<&eh> or call 0300 123 23 23
It’s rewarding and easy to do – eight out of ten donors say giving blood is rewarding and six out of ten say it’s easy to do