Highland Hockey Club step up for another lifesaving fixture

'If you’re one of those people who finds life keeps on getting in the way of giving blood, my advice is to just make it happen.'

Kevin Cummings, first team goalkeeper for Highland Hockey Club gave his 65th blood donation at Inverness Blood Donor Centre on Monday evening - along with a full squad of teammates.

Kevin said, 'Booking your appointment online is an absolute doddle and the whole process of donating is so rewarding. I was at home, booking an appointment for myself a few months back, and thought I’d pop out a message on our club WhatsApp group to see if anyone was interested in coming along. I was pleasantly surprised at the positive response I got from my teammates - it was clear that as a team we really wanted to give something back to our community.'

Kevin and the team found the whole process so straightforward that immediately after their first group donation, they booked in to do it all over again just a few months later, making this their second visit to the Inverness donor centre.

As blood can be separated into three separate parts (blood, platelets and plasma) the team have collectively saved or improved the lives of up to 72 patients across Scotland so far.

Kevin, who works as a charity finance officer for Down Syndrome Scotland explained, 'Growing up, my mum had more surgeries than I care to remember. As a transplant patient, she relied on the kindness of blood donors to support her through several of her surgeries.'

Booking your appointment online is an absolute doddle and the whole process of donating is so rewarding Kevin Cummings

'Later in life, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service were visiting my workplace for a donation session, and I thought I’d go along and give it a try. It was such an easy thing to do and knowing my donation had made a massive difference to someone else out there was more than enough motivation to ensure I’ve continued to donate regularly ever since.

'Giving blood has always been a positive experience for me. The biscuits are plentiful and the banter with the donor team is always great too. That combined with the feel-good factor you get from knowing that you’ve helped someone else out there who’s less fortunate than you at that time is all part of the donation experience.'

Kevin concluded, 'I’m super proud of my teammates. This has been a great team-building exercise and something for us all to do together outwith the club. We’re already looking forward to our next visit to the Donor Centre. Giving blood and helping others will be a regular fixture in the club calendar.'

We can’t thank all the club members from Highland Hockey Club enough for taking time out of the calendar to donate. We look forward to welcoming the team back for their next donation soon.

Inverness Blood Donor Centre is open weekly on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and will also open for a special donation session on Sunday 25^th August. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service would love to invite more groups and organisations to get involved and help organise lifesaving group donation sessions.

• Contact us online or give us a call on 0345 90 90 999 (Mon-Fri 9am till 5pm) to book an appointment or to find out more.