Last week Ram Quarter hosted its second blood donor drive for NHSBT (NHS Blood & Transplant). Residents from the development, and more widely from Wandsworth borough's local community, were able to help save lives by registering throughout the day to donate blood and plasma. The event was based in Bubbling Well Square at Ram Quarter, Greenland's redevelopment of the former Young's Brewery site. We are very grateful to Sambrook's for allowing NHSBT to use its indoor space for private discussions with would-be donors.
NHS staff were on hand throughout the day for one-to-one conversations to answer questions about the donation process and eligibility, and to help people book appointments to donate. As a token of appreciation for each registrant, NHSBT offered prospective donors an on-the-spot finger-prick blood type test to reveal their likely blood type.
Blood and plasma donations are a great way to help people in emergency situations, as well as fighting cancers, blood disorders, immune disorders and genetic conditions. Most people can donate, provided they are generally fit and healthy, are aged between 17 and 65, and weigh between 50kg and 158kg. Black and Asian donors are always particularly welcome, due to high demand for blood types more common in those groups, and for the higher prevalence of the universal blood type (O negative).
The NHS held its National Blood Week earlier this summer (9 to 15 June) to encourage 1 million people in England to give blood and to help create the country's largest volunteering force, to stabilise the nation's blood supply. The drive comes after NHSBT revealed an annual shortfall of more than 200,000 donors needed to meet growing demand. Just two per cent of the population is keeping the nation's blood stocks afloat, so the NHS is always in need of more people to give blood. More than 5,000 donations are needed every day, and more than 1 million active donors are required to help maintain a safe and reliable blood supply.
The events and the registrations achieved at Ram Quarter will help the NHS to save many more lives. Greenland looks forward to continuing to support NHSBT's important work.
If you would like to register to donate blood, or learn more about donating blood, please visit < blood.co.uk >.