Blood donations required to top up stocks for winter

PEOPLE in Adur and Worthing are being urged to donate blood to replenish stocks as winter approaches.

NHS Blood and Transplant is holding a number of sessions this month to encourage people to give blood and save up to three lives with each donation.

Currently there are 22,307 potentially active donors registered across West Sussex, with 3,121 on the list in Worthing and a further 1,075 in Littlehampton.

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Hospitals in England and North Wales need around 7,000 units of blood every day to treat patients.

Blood is used for a number of reasons, for those who have been in accidents, to help people survive treatments and operations or to keep a patient alive long enough for their loved ones to get to the hospital to say goodbye.

In Worthing, the aim is to collect 135 donations per session at The Charmandean Centre and 90 donations for each session at the Assembly Hall.

The health authority also aims to collect 135 donations for every session held at St. Catherine’s Centre in Littlehampton.

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John Canning, lead donor relations manager, said: “It would be great to see people using their extra hour to make a real difference to the lives of others. Blood saves and improves lives every day.

“We especially need O negative and B negative donors to come forward.

“We welcome new and existing donors and you can book an appointment or walk in to one of our sessions.”

Anyone aged between 17 to 65, weighing more than 50 kg and in general good health could becoming a blood donor.

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Sessions, which run between 2pm and 4.30pm and 5.30pm and 8pm will be held at the Charmandean Centre in Worthing on Tuesday and again on November 26 and at the Assembly Hall on November 25. In Adur, sessions will be held on November 18 at the Steyning Centre and November 20 at Southwick Community Centre.

Littlehampton’s sessions are tomorrow at the Woodlands Centre, Rustington, and on Monday at St Catherine’s Centre.

For appointments call 0300 123 23 23 or go to www.blood.co.uk