Record response to blood appeal 'could save 5,000 lives' (From Oxford Mail)

Record response to blood appeal 'could save 5,000 lives'

7:50am Monday 23rd November 2009 in

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YOU’VE done it: Oxford Mail readers have helped the National Blood Service secure enough of the red stuff to potentially save more than 5,000 lives.

In September, we teamed up with the service to launch the Gift of Life Appeal.

The campaign aimed to recruit 1,000 new blood donors before winter and seasonal illnesses hit.

Thanks to a massive response from our readers, the service has recruited a record 1,748 new donors.

And, as every pint of blood has the potential to save up to three lives, the donors could help more than 5,000 people when they need it most.

However, the campaign is not over yet.

Many more Oxfordshire people are still needed to sign up to donate blood to boost stocks into the New Year.

According to the service, every winter there is a real risk of blood stocks falling desperately low.

Hectic schedules, seasonal illnesses, and holidays mean the people who regularly donate to the NHS can become too busy.

But the demand for blood does not stop over the winter period.

Whether it is for use in life-saving surgery on a critically ill child, for a cancer patient, or a mother giving birth, every drop of blood is needed.

Jonathan Sewell from NHS Blood and Transplant said the donor number was a record for Oxfordshire.

He said: “We can now offer 1,748 new potential donors the opportunity to save a life, which exceeds the Oxford Mail’s donor target sign-up number of 1,000.

“I would like to thank the Oxford Mail for its ongoing support, but our biggest thanks go to all those people who have signed up to become a blood donor.

“Each one of you who signed up has done something incredible.

“By going on to donate you will help to give the gift of life this Christmas.

“Thank you to all the blood donors of Oxford. You really have done something amazing.”

Gayle Franklin, Oxford session manager for the blood service, said: “We would like to thank the Oxford Mail for all its support with this campaign.

“Its help has proved invaluable in recruiting new blood donors for the Oxford area.

“We look forward to welcoming the new donors along to sessions very soon.”