New blood donation centre to open at Bucks New Uni after student campaign

BNU will host its first blood donation session at its High Wycombe campus this week.

Student paramedic Grace Gallagher, aged 20, was inspired to spearhead the campaign for the new centre after seeing firsthand the life-saving difference blood transfusions can make. 

Grace's call to other students to give blood comes as recent years have seen the number of 17-24 year old donors almost halve, from 13.07% in 2017-18 to just 7.2% in 2022-23. NHS Blood and Transplant say England needs more than 200,000 extra donors to maintain a safe blood supply. 

Supported by the Bucks Students' Union, her successful campaign means the blood donor centre is set to open to staff, students and the public at BNU's High Wycombe campus on 16 July. 

Explaining why she felt such a strong need to inspire a new generation of student blood donors, Grace said: "Growing up, there wasn't much awareness around blood donation where I'm from [Derry], but as a student paramedic, I've seen how lifesaving blood donations can be. Encouraging more people to donate by bringing donation opportunities directly onto campus felt like something meaningful I could do, and the campaign has really resonated."

Grace Gallagher

As secretary of the university's Paramedic Society, she also partnered with the Students' Union to host a 'Know Your Blood Type' event, giving students the opportunity to learn more about blood donation. The campaign generated an immediate response, with 38 students signing up to donate straight away and a further 40 prospective donors referred to alternative donation centres within just a few hours.

Now, Grace is calling on other student groups and universities across the country to launch their own campaigns and help close the gap in young donor numbers.

She said: "Students are incredibly willing to help when they understand the need, so I hope this encourages more universities to start these conversations. A lot is said about how young people don't want to donate, but I think it's more that the message isn't reaching them.

"Students are incredibly busy with university, work and placements, but I don't think that's the biggest barrier. I think many simply haven't been asked or don't realise how urgently blood is needed. Once we held our Know Your Blood Type campaign on campus and explained why it matters, the response was amazing, with lots of students signing up or expressing interest. To me, that shows young people do want to help, they just need the opportunity and the information."

Ruth Bilbe, Area Matron for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming donors at the new sessions at Buckinghamshire New University. Bookings are already off to a strong start and we are grateful to Grace for her fantastic campaign to inspire others to become lifesaving blood donors.

"The NHS desperately needs more young people to sign up and donate. Young people have a whole lifetime of donation ahead of them and we will rely on them to secure the blood supply of the future. All donations are vital, but right now the NHS particularly needs more donors with B negative, O negative or the Ro subtype, as well as more donors of Black heritage to help treat those with sickle cell.

"Giving blood is quick and easy and each donation can save up to three lives."

The centre, which will be run by teams from NHS Blood and Transplant, is expected to become a regular donation venue with a second session planned for 10 September.