One thousand residents have now helped save the lives of others through blood donation sessions at Berkshire fire stations.
Daniel Jani from Reading was the 1000th person to donate blood at a Berkshire station, after he gave blood at Caversham Road Fire Station on Monday 6 March.
Station Manager Luke Coleman said: “The arrangement of providing fire stations for blood donation sessions is in line with our ambition to place our fire stations at the heart of the communities they serve.
“To welcome Daniel through the door of Caversham Road as our 1000th donor less than a year after the scheme started is testament to that and a fantastic achievement.
“We’re delighted to help donors save lives and look forward to opening up more fire stations for blood donation sessions.”
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) sent Daniel a thank you card in recognition of the milestone.
Daniel Jani said: “I have been donating blood since 2012. I started because I wanted to help people.
“It was really nice to come to my local fire station and make a donation. The fire service staff and blood donation staff are very friendly and professional, and giving blood is fun and rewarding.”
The blood donation sessions are run by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which supplies blood to hospitals in England, and tissues and solid organs to hospitals across the UK, saving and transforming countless lives.
Working with NHSBT is just one of the ways that RBFRS is delivering on its commitment to contribute to the broader safety, health and wellbeing of the communities it serves. In addition to providing its fire stations as venues for blood donation sessions, RBFRS also promotes the sessions in the local communities in an effort to encourage more people to donate.
Following this success at a local level, RBFRS is working nationally to improve partnership working between the NHSBT and fire and rescue services.
Station Manager Luke Coleman has prepared guidance for other fire and rescue services on how the Berkshire model could be rolled out to stations elsewhere in the country.
Three RBFRS stations currently host blood donation sessions: Wokingham, Caversham Road, and Langley Fire Stations.
Wokingham Fire Station was the first RBFRS station to host sessions beginning in April 2016, followed by Caversham Road in January this year and Langley will host its first session in May.
It is hoped that more fire stations will be announced as blood donation venues in the coming months.
Gayle Franklin, Area Manager for the South Midlands (which covers Berkshire) at NHSBT, said: “We are delighted that Caversham Road Fire station continues to support the work that NHSBT does.
“Each blood donation can potentially save the lives of three people so donors at the fire station will have potentially helped over 3,000 people. Many thanks to staff and donors at the station for their continued support.”
If you would like to give blood, please visit: www.blood.co.uk/ or call 0300 123 23 23 to make an appointment.
Notes to editors
- NHS Blood and Transplant is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority. They are responsible for ensuring a safe and efficient supply of blood and associated services to the NHS in England. They are also the organ donation organisation for the UK and are responsible for matching and allocating donated
- The Blood donor line – 0300 123 23 23 – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with all calls charged at the standard local rate, even from mobile phones.
- Blood donors can search for sessions, book appointments, change/cancel their appointments and change their contact details in real time at www.blood.co.uk