Register now and save lives

During the past near-two years of this pandemic, countless people and communities have rallied together to help the most vulnerable in society. Whether it was cooking and delivering meals to those shielding, raising money to buy personal protection equipment for frontline workers or simply checking in on elderly neighbours to make sure they were OK, a stellar sense of togetherness galvanised us all at a time of utmost turmoil.

It is now a fervent hope that this sense of togetherness can make a real and lasting difference when it comes to a vital but often neglected service.

Northern Ireland’s Blood Transfusion Service recently reported that donations have fallen by more than a third in the New Year. With people having to isolate because of Covid and various other factors eliciting concerns over the coronavirus, potential donors have been routinely staying away from blood drives.

Normally, at this time of the year, the service would have up to 1,000 units of blood in stock but this number recently fell to just 600.

The worst case scenario of diminished blood stocks is that routine surgeries could be cancelled, notwithstanding any accidents and emergencies for which those involved might require critical transfusions.

The fact is: So many more people – the vast majority of healthy members of the public – could be donating this life-sustaining fluid, which can literally make a difference between life and death.

For a process which only takes an hour to complete and which can be repeated several times a year, giving blood is one of the easiest – and also one of the most important – things a person can do to help others.

For the donor, it is a small contribution to the betterment of society.

But for the recipient, it means everything.

Register now and help saves lives.

For more information on donating blood log onto www.nibts.hscni.net