Blood donation event held at Scottish Parliament

On Wednesday 12 December 2018, Bill Kidd MSP invited MSPs to meet with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society (SABS), the St Andrew's Sporting Club (with the British bantamweight boxing champion, Kash Farooq, Ambassador for SABS Blood Donation Campaign), the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and the Edinburgh City Football Club at the Scottish Parliament.

This meeting showcased the launch of a coordinated action in Scotland to catapult and promote the work of blood donation and the recruitment of blood donors from all parts of Scottish society. The group brought together MSPs with many organisations including: the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, SNBTS, the Scottish Ambulance Service, the St Andrew's Sporting Club, the SPFL, and Edinburgh City Football Club. These organisations are committed to working together to bring the importance of blood donation to the forefront of discussions with young adults in sport.

MSPs received a short briefing on blood donation and the promotion of blood donation within sports in Scotland. This sports-focused and collaborative approach has the potential to encourage thousands of young people to give blood. The NHS wants to encourage young adults (over the age of 17) to give blood to save a life. Around half of current blood donors are from people aged 45 and over, so bringing this to the attention of the younger generation is vitally important. The event was well attended with many MSPs attending to show support.

Everyone at SNBTS would like to thank everyone who attended to show their support for the give blood campaign.

• If you'd like to sign up to give blood, you can register online or give us a ring on 0345 90 90 999