The campaign that I love in February

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) launched the Blood Doesn’t Grow On Trees campaign on 21^st February, and the campaign is still running to date.  As a regular blood donor and a communication student, this campaign caught my eye.

Image sourced from blood.co.uk

I particularly like the name of the campaign, it feels very poignant, and it has successfully pulled at my heartstrings.  The name pays homage to the famous expression, money doesn’t grow on trees, which reminds people to be careful with their money, as money is not easy to come by.  However, as this campaign is highlighting, blood is even less easy to come by.  25% of us will need at least one blood transfusion in our lifetime, but only 4% of adults are currently donating. (Source blood.co.uk)

For those of us who are lucky enough to not need blood, or have not encountered incidents where blood transfusion is needed, blood supply is not something that we think about: as our bone marrows produce it automatically.  Many of us believe that blood is only needed in an emergency, such as traffic accidents, however, blood is needed for the cancer treatments, child birth, surgeries, blood disorders and research, to name a few.  Therefore, I think the campaign name is encouraging people to acknowledge the importance of blood supply and the scarcity of blood in the NHS.

The campaign started by inviting volunteers to knit blood drop bags in preparation for its road show.  Its target was 700 blood drops, but with the great support from the volunteers, it received over 8,000, and the number is growing each day as the campaign continues.  This has enabled the campaign to “yarnbomb” major towns and cities nationwide to encourage people to give blood.

For those who are afraid of needles, please don’t be – I was exactly like you: I’m still afraid of needles.  However, the thought that my blood could potentially save someone’s life is good enough for me to overcome the fear. The nursing staff always do their best to make you feel at ease.

If you have not donated blood before and are interested in taking the first step, you can find out more here.  Why not make donating blood one of the amazing things you do in March?

If you would like to get involve in the Blood Doesn’t Grow on Trees campaign, apart from giving blood, you can knit the blood drops that are currently “yarnbombing” various towns and cities around UK. You can download various knitting patterns from the website.

Chloe Berry, a final year PR student and course representative.  Chloe completed her placement year at Brass, one of the largest full-service communications agencies in Leeds.
@vegeworm