Blood donor increase from churches 

New research reveals impact of fleshandblood campaign; much more still needed

There has been a 77 per cent increase in the number of local churches that talk about blood and organ donation since 2012, new research has found, as well as an upsurge in donors from the Christian community.

The increases have been attributed to the fleshandblood campaign, the first initiative between the Church and NHS. The campaign began in 2012 in association with a number of denominations, including the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

The campaign witnessed "widespread support across churches, community groups and from government ministers, with more than 35,000 church leaders across the country having been resourced and registering some of the most successful recruitment drives for new donors in the history of NHS Blood and Transplant", according to a statement released today.

Highlighting the advocacy and support of UK churches, the research found that close to 10 per cent of Christians gave blood in 2014, compared to around 4 per cent of the general population who have given blood in the last two years.

The research was released by fleshandblood to coincide with World Blood Donor Day (14 June). It's the first time the day has fallen on a Sunday since 2009, and churches are using the opportunity to raise awareness of blood donation needs among the estimated six million regular churchgoers in the UK.

The push comes in response to figures released last week by NHS Blood and Transplant, revealing that 40 per cent fewer new volunteers came forward across England and North Wales to give blood last year compared to a decade ago.

Last week church denominations, including the Baptist, Methodist, URC and Anglican churches also took part in NHS Blood and Transplant’s own #missingtype campaign during National Blood Week by removing the letters A, B and O (the letters that make up the blood groups) from their logos to help raise awareness for the need of new donors.

Writing for the Church of England, the Bishop of Carlisle, Rt Rev James Newcombe says: 'When you visit a donor session, the smiling nurses who attend to you and put you at ease actually take 10% of your body’s blood volume. A perfect tithe…

'I do hope that many more who call themselves followers of Jesus may choose to offer a tithe of their blood as a gift to strangers whom they will never knowingly meet as a natural act of faith, asking in return only a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit.'

The research was conducted by Christian Research in December 2014, among a representative sample of UK churchgoers, and compared with a corresponding Christian Research survey in December 2012, prior to the launch of the fleshandblood campaign.

The fleshandblood campaign directors are Matt and Juls Hollidge of the Kore creative agency and members of Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church.