Inverness centre welcomes Highland Hockey Club members for group blood donation
“I’ve always wanted to give blood, but life has had a habit of getting in the way.”
How many of us have said those words, or something very like them, over the years?
Thankfully for Highland Hockey Club member Daniel Courts it is a sentence he can now put behind him after he joined team-mates for what is their third collective donation of 2024.
Having rolled up his sleeve at the Inverness Donor Centre on Sunday, the first-time donor said afterwards: “I’m absolutely delighted that I’ve made it along to give my first donation today.
“There was nothing to it, the whole process is seamless, and it feels great knowing that we’ve made a difference to so many other people out there as a team.”
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He added: “My parents were in a car crash some years ago and I’ve always been aware that they could’ve relied on blood donors in that instance.
“You just don’t know what’s around the corner.”
Making his second donation was fellow player Babar Khan.
“It feels so good knowing that you can potentially benefit so many people for so long by doing something that takes so little time,” he said.
“The whole process is simple and streamlined. It really takes minimum effort in comparison to the feel-good factor you get knowing you’ve made a huge difference to someone else out there.”
And the team’s Christopher Smith added: “Coming along to donate as a team makes the whole process a lot easier and creates a bit of buzz and banter between us all.
“It was explained to us today that every donation can be separated into three separate parts (blood, platelets and plasma) meaning that for this trip alone, the team have potentially saved or improved up to 30 lives.
“Knowing that our donations will be ready for a patient in need within 24 hours is a really humbling feeling. I hadn’t appreciated that our donations could make such a difference to so many people.”
The club has been nominated for the Scottish Hockey Union Community Club of the Year title due to be announced in Glasgow this February, but as far as we are concerned they are already winners!
A range of donations sessions will continue to take place across the Highlands and Moray over Christmas and new year including at Green Drive Community Hall, Culduthel, Inverness on December 30 (2.30-4pm and 5.30-7.30pm) where there are still lots of appointments available.
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service would love to invite more groups and organisations to get involved and help organise lifesaving group donation sessions.
Contact them online or give them a call on 0345 90 90 999 (Mon-Fri 9am till 5pm) to book an appointment or to find out more.
