Thousands in North West make a date to donate

Over ten thousand people in the North West made a ‘date to donate’ as part of National Blood Week in June, new figures published today (Tuesday 19 July) show.

During National Blood Week, NHS Blood and Transplant issued a call for 10,000 people across England and North Wales to make a date to donate, after new data showed there had been a 20 per cent drop in young regular donors over the last decade raising concerns for the stability of blood stocks in the future.

The week saw 10,382 across the North West make appointments to donate. 3,086 of these appointments were made by people in Greater Manchester.

The awareness week also led to the registration of 2,388 new donors, 849 of the new donors were from Greater Manchester.

Despite a significant increase in the number of new registrations among young people in the North West, among existing donors, 40-54 year olds are still responsible for giving the most blood. From 13 to the 26 June, 3,978 existing donors aged 40-54 made appointments to donate, compared to 2,058 from the 17–29 age bracket.

Barbara Blanche, NHSBT Lead Donor Relation Manager, North West said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the public’s response to our National Blood Week campaign and would like to thank all of the first time and regular donors in the North West who made a ‘date to donate’, a simple act that will help to save and improve many lives.

“However, to maintain national blood stocks, we need over 177,000 donations and 24,000 new donors every year in the North West alone - and there is a lack of regular young donors. We therefore urge the younger generation to make a date to donate and become life savers of the future.”