South London Gives – Increasing blood donation in black communities

‘South London Gives’ is a new project run by the Sickle Cell Society which aims to increase the numbers of people of black African and Caribbean heritage who regularly donate blood.

Sickle cell patients needing regular blood transfusions benefit from more precisely matched blood, which is most likely to come from someone with the same ethnicity. More than 40,000 black African and black Caribbean donors are needed to meet this growing demand.

The project, which is supported by NHS Blood and Transplant, currently runs in Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. You can get involved by:

• Volunteering – you will receive training on engaging black communities about blood donation and how to sign people up as donors
•  Inviting us to speak to large groups of black communities at your workplace, college or community group
• Giving blood! Get in touch to find out how.

For information about any of the above, please contact Tracy Williams, Project Manager: tracy.williams@sicklecellsociety.org / 07809 736099