Appeal for more and new blood donors in Brechin ahead of donation session

The session will be held next Monday (July 13) and Thursday (July 16) in the theatre at Brechin Community Campus on Duke Street (DD9 6LB), from 2.30pm – 4.30pm and 6pm – 7.30pm.

Dr Sylvia Armstrong-Fisher, head of territory for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), said there is a continuing urgent need for blood donors.

She said: “The Brechin session has come at an important time this summer.

“Scotland urgently needs more blood donors. We know that donations can drop during big football moments, but blood cannot be stockpiled, and Scotland needs to welcome almost 500 donors every day.

“Only around 2% of the eligible population currently give blood, so we really need to welcome new donors.

“The recent football and heat wave have had an impact on Scotland’s bloodstock levels as regular donors have been busy. This means we are asking the people of Brechin to make an extra special effort to come forward during our important summer visit.

“So if you have not given for a while, we’d love to welcome you back. At this time, we particularly need donors with the blood groups O and A.”

There are currently 90,923 blood donors in Scotland, but the donor base is ageing. In the last decade the number of donors under the age of 30 used to be nearly a third of the donor base - now it is about a sixth of the donor base.

Scotland requires around 450 blood donors every day to meet hospital demand.

Dr Armstrong-Fisher added: “We’d also really love to welcome new donors. Almost 88 people in Brechin have registered as a donor but not given their first donation yet – if this is you, or someone you know, our message is simple – there has never been a better time to give your first donation.

“If you’d like to give as a group, or help SNBTS with publicity and raising awareness, we’d love to hear from you.”

Book an appointment at www.scotblood.co.uk, email [email protected], call 0345 90 90 999 (Mon to Fri, 9am-5pm)