Making a difference to over 15,000 lives by the end of 2024
With 2025 already well underway, we’re kicking off our Winter Newsletter by looking back on one of our biggest achievements of 2024. By the end of our Big Blood Drive in November, we were so proud to be able to announce that we have now saved or improved over 15,000 people’s lives through the work we’ve been doing at Give Blood 4 Good over the last five years.
We couldn’t have reached this milestone without each and every person who has supported us on this journey. Whether that be by regularly giving blood, joining us at Blood Ball, or sharing our social content with your followers, we can’t thank you all enough.
For this reason, we ended 2024 with our #GB5G series on social media, to celebrate 5 of our key achievements over the last 5 years, before we entered 2025. We took you all back to where it all began, and shared the incredible impact of Rachel’s blood drive and exciting update that we were supporting BBC Casualty’s Christmas special episode to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation. We then shared how our #BloodyBrilliant Uni Squad (BBUS) and Young Ambassador Programmes have grown and the impact they’ve had, finishing off by celebrating the success Blood Ball.
If you missed our series please do check out our social channels to learn more about some of the work we’re most proud of, which we couldn’t have done without you all. Your love, support and commitment to helping us grow as a charity has meant the world to us, and we’re so excited to see where we can take Give Blood 4 Good over the next five years!
Kicking off 2025 with an in-person strategy meeting
It was fantastic to get the full team together in Edinburgh at the end of January for a full-day strategy meeting, to reflect on our successes over the last five years and plan how we are going to continue to grow in 2025 and beyond. It’s so rare that we’re all able to meet in-person, so it was wonderful to get some quality time together and also have six of our #BloodyBrilliant Uni Squad (BBUS) volunteers join us for the afternoon.
We did a lot of brainstorming, had some great discussions about the future of Give Blood 4 Good, and came up with some really exciting ideas for 2025 which we can’t wait to share with you all.
We’re delighted to have welcomed a new core team member!
Last October, we were delighted to introduce you all to our newest core team member, Innes Wilson, who joined us as our Corporate Relations Coordinator.
Innes has been part of the Give Blood 4 Good team since 2022, where she did an incredible job setting up our BBUS in Aberdeen. Now that she’s graduated, we’re so pleased that she will be continuing to volunteer with us. In her new role, Innes will be helping companies, organisations and societies organise blood drives, as well as supporting the team with all things communications and PR.
Read on to learn more about why encouraging more people to become blood donors is important to Innes, and why she wanted to join our team:
“I have always been a strong advocate for donating blood and even donated on my 17th birthday! A couple of years ago I had a family member take ill on holiday and had to receive 28 units of blood from Spanish donors. Without their donations it may have been a different story and marks the importance of blood donation. This sparked my interest in doing more than just donating blood and to be part of something bigger. I joined GB4G in 2022 and have loved being a part of the BBUS, helping spread awareness and encouraging university students to donate. I am excited to be joining the core team and to continue to encourage more people to donate!”
We’re so lucky to have you, Innes!
Would you like to join our team?
We’re always looking to grow our team, so if you would be interested in volunteering with us in any capacity, we’d love to hear from you. Contact hello@giveblood4good.org to learn more!
BBC Casualty called and we answered!
At the end of last year, we were absolutely delighted to support the BBC create their Casualty Christmas special episode, which aired on 21 December. The episode paid tribute to the miracle of blood and told real-life stories of the impact blood donation can have on people’s lives.
As some of you may remember, in December 2023 we were honoured to partner with Rachel's friends and family to encourage people to donate blood and celebrate what would’ve been her 23rd birthday. Following a three and a half year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), a type of blood cancer, Rachel sadly passed away in May 2023. During this time, Rachel went through multiple intensive treatments where she received hundreds of blood transfusions which gave her the energy and ability to do what was important to her.
By the end of the blood drive, 235 people signed up to give blood, meaning up to 705 lives were saved or improved. Over the past five years, we’ve supported several blood drives that have deeply impacted us, reinforcing why we do what we do at Give Blood 4 Good—Rachel’s is absolutely one of them.
In the Casualty episode, James shared Rachel’s story, her journey of being diagnosed with and treated for AML, and how the blood transfusions she received over three years impacted her life. He also shared more about all the amazing things Rachel did during this time, which the blood transfusions she received helped give her the energy to do, including completing her degree and graduating from the University of Aberdeen.
The episode was extremely powerful and had a fantastic impact on the number of people signing up to give blood across the UK. It’s not too late to watch the episode if you missed it. Follow the link here to watch the full Casualty episode, and the extended clip here - also featuring Rachel’s sister, Abby - which goes into more detail of each of the stories featured in the episode. We encourage you to watch both episodes as a reminder of the impact your blood donation could have on someone, and their family’s, lives.
Our #BloodyBrilliant Uni Squads continue to raise the bar!
‘Proud’ doesn’t even begin to describe how we feel about each and every one of our BBUS volunteers. As a result of the amazing work they did during semester one, they encouraged an incredible 656 pledges to give blood over just four months, with around 60-70% of those students being first-time donors. They never cease to amaze us, so please do read on to learn more about the work they did to have such an outstanding impact!
Edinburgh
Our Edinburgh team, made up of 10 volunteers, supported 24 sports clubs and societies across the university organise blood drives in semester one. Combined, the blood drives saw 312 students pledge to give blood, saving or improving up to 936(!!!) lives.
Out of the 312 students, 75% were first-time donors, which is absolutely outstanding. On top of the blood drives they have supported organising, they also hosted a stall at the University of Edinburgh library in October to tell their fellow peers all about the importance of blood donation, helping over 20 students book a blood donation on the spot. On top of this, an information and red nail painting session took place this semester with a few societies, which you can learn more about over on @eutvsoc’s Instagram channel.
Our Edinburgh BBUS has already kicked off 2025 with a bang, hosting a pub quiz which saw over 70 people attend and raised over £340. We can’t wait to tell you more about what they get up to this semester!
Glasgow
Our Glasgow BBUS also had a fantastic first semester, where they encouraged 130 people to give blood, of which 104 students were first-time donors. The main event was an on-campus blood drive organised in partnership with the Glasgow University Students Association and Scotblood, where 121 students donated blood in just one week. The impact they have had is incredible and we can’t wait to see what else they do to encourage more young people to give blood this semester.
Stirling
We’re so excited to have now set up a BBUS at The University of Stirling this year. They kicked their academic year off by hosting a library stall back in November to raise awareness of blood donation among their fellow students, which was followed by an on-campus blood drive organised with Scotblood, where 68 people donated blood in just one day.
The blood drive saw 40 students give blood for the first time, and saved or improved over 200 lives. This was the first ever blood drive our Stirling team organised, and we’re so proud of the incredible impact they have had already!
Aberdeen
In October last year, our Aberdeen BBUS worked with Scotblood to organise an on-campus blood drive at the University of Aberdeen. In just one day, 146 people donated blood, including 63 first time donors! We’re so proud of our six BBUS volunteers in Aberdeen for all the incredible work they are doing to encourage their fellow students to give blood.
They have already hosted their semester two blood drive, which saw a further 121 people donate blood. We’re so looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for the rest of the semester - keep your eyes peeled on our social channels to learn more!
Bristol and Sheffield
In addition to the fantastic work our BBUS volunteers do at their own universities, they have also supported sports clubs and societies at both Bristol and Sheffield universities to organise blood drives.
The University of Bristol Swimming and Water Polo club encouraged eight people to give blood during their blood drive, of which seven people were first-time donors. With 24 lives saved or improved, we’re so impressed with the team for having such an amazing impact.
Our BBUS teams also worked with the Sheffield SU LGBTQ+ Society and We Are Donors Sheffield to organise a blood drive where 32 people donated blood. Not only did their blood drive save or improve up to 96 lives, but it encouraged 26 people to give blood for the first time.
It’s blood drives like these that are so important to achieving Give Blood 4 Good’s mission, to encourage more people to become blood donors sooner and make regular donation part of their lives. Congratulations to everyone who got involved!
If you’re interested in organising a blood drive at your university, we’d love to support you with this. Email us at hello@giveblood4good.org to learn more!
Dundee
Finally, we are absolutely delighted to share that we have now set up a BBUS at The University of Dundee. To kick off 2025, Anna will be supporting the Dundee University Social Medicine Society to organise a blood drive. We can’t wait to see how many people sign up, and we’re looking forward to seeing how many more clubs and societies get involved with Give Blood 4 Good this year.
Join our BBUS!
Think you have what it takes to raise awareness of blood donation and encourage your fellow students to give blood? We’re always looking for more volunteers - particularly in Dundee and Glasgow - so if you'd like to learn more about how you could get involved, send a quick email to hello@giveblood4good.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!
and Last but not least
Kicking off another year of our Young Ambassador Programme
In August, we were so excited to kick off another year of our Young Ambassador Programme, where Megan and Ollie went to Jordanhill, The Glasgow Academy and the Anderson High School to speak to their S5/6 students about the importance of blood donation and encourage them to take part in our programme.
It was fantastic to have the opportunity to speak with over 500 students across Shetland and Glasgow, and we’re so grateful to each of the schools for having us, and more importantly for running our programme to ultimately inspire their students to give blood as soon as they’re able at 17. We can’t wait to hear more about how our Young Ambassador’s have gotten on with the programme later this year.
If your school is interested in learning more about our Young Ambassador Programme, we’d love to hear from you. Email Megan at mpetursdottir@giveblood4good.org for more information.
Jess’ incredible Ironman fundraiser
Last year, we were so excited when Jess got in touch with us and told us that she not only would be competing in her first ever Ironman in October, but that she wanted to raise money for Give Blood 4 Good while training for her event. Jess has followed Give Blood 4 Good since 2019 and has been a huge supporter of our work. During her training, she hosted fun runs to raise money, and also hosted a blood drive to encourage friends and family to donate. By the time of her Ironman - where she finished as the second fastest woman in her age group - she had raised a phenomenal £2,100 for our charity.
Congratulations Jess, and thank you again. We think you’re absolutely #BloodyBrilliant!
Would you be interested in fundraising for Give Blood 4 Good?
As a small charity, donations like Jess’ have a huge impact on the work we can do to encourage more young people to give blood. If you’d like to follow in Jess’ footsteps and do something to encourage others to give blood, we’d love to hear from you.