Our staff took time out from their day jobs to sign up as blood donors to support NHS Blood and Transplant’s ‘Blood Doesn’t Grow on Trees’ campaign.

NHS Blood and Transplant is using the campaign to highlight the need to for new and existing blood donors across the North of England to step up and donate to keep blood stocks in hospitals healthy.

Amanda Eccles, Senior Marketing Coordinator, said: “We are delighted that South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is supporting blood donation. We always need new people in South Yorkshire to start donating blood to ensure that stocks across the country are healthy now and in the future. I hope that people will be inspired to donate with the knowledge that their donations save lives and that it is an easy thing to do.”

Although overall blood use within the NHS has reduced thanks to improvements in clinical and surgical practices, hospitals and patients still rely on more than 6,000 people attending a donation session every day across England and North Wales.

Blood is required to treat patients for a whole range of reasons. It is used in accident and emergency situations, during surgery and in maternity and neonatal care when either mum or baby need blood. It is also used as a treatment for cancer and for blood disorders, such as sickle cell anaemia.

You can register as a donor, find out whether there is a session coming up in your area and book an appointment to donate whenever and wherever you are through www.blood.co.uk or by using the app on your Android, Windows or Apple device. To download an app for your device, search ‘NHSGiveBlood’ in the app store.

In general, as long as you are fit and healthy, weigh over 7 stone 12 lbs (50kg) and are aged between 17 and 66 (up to 70 if you have given blood before) you should be able to give blood. If you are over 70, you need to have given blood in the last two years to continue donating.