My grandmother gave blood for years and became a life long donor. I'd thought about doing it for years and then one day thought, 'I'm going to help other people'. It wasn't until I gave blood that I knew my blood type. A- which is quite a rare one with only 6% of the population having it, so I'm classed as a priority case when I donate.

It doesn't hurt and takes no longer than 10 minutes - but it goes a long way to help more than one person from a pint. The journey of donated blood is interesting and is split into different categories and helps multiple people. One of the things I look forward to is the text you get in the following weeks telling you where your blood ended up. Last time I ended up in an Oxford hospital. I've been all over the UK, including Jersey!

If you're thinking about it - book an appointment and join the club. Blood levels are low so let's help each other.

Leonie Birtle 14 donations, bronze badge holder