ROLL up your sleeve to give the best Christmas present ever! Blood donors in and around the Tavistock area are being asked to give an early Christmas present this year ? the gift of life. Staff at the National Blood Service (NBS) are encouraging donors who have been invited to attend the Tavistock blood donor session on December 21 to please try and make it a date to donate. They would also like to welcome new donors and see the return of any old faces who have not managed to donate for a while. Kate James, Service?s spokesperson for the county, said: ?All of our December sessions are vital in helping to maintain healthy stocks during the festive period. The Tavistock session is important because donors who give a pint of the red stuff will be helping to boost blood stocks and ensure that there will be lifesaving products available for patients over Christmas and New Year holidays.? The demand for blood never stops especially at Christmas time! This is because two blood products taken from a donation have short shelf lives. Platelets last for just five days and are often used to help treat leukaemia and cancer patients and also patients with severe infections. Ensuring there are sufficient stocks of these is vital during the four day Christmas break to guarantee patients get the care and treatment they require. Red cells last a little bit longer at 35 days and are often transfused to patients suffering from severe anaemia or severe blood loss. This December, the NBS needs to collect 9,000 voluntary donations throughout England and North Wales each day to help meet hospital demand. Session details: Wednesday, December 21 at Tavistock Methodist Church, Chapel Street, Tavistock from 1.30pm to 3.15pm and 5pm to 7.15pm. Donors can make appointments for these sessions by calling the NBS Helpline on 0845 7 711 711. For further information about blood donation or for details of local sessions this winter call the NBS on 0845 7711711 or log onto http://www.blood.co.uk">www.blood.co.uk
