Black Blood Matters exists to engage, empower & educate about the importance of blood donation in the African and Caribbean community. 

Our goal is to eliminate the present shortage of Black blood donors & inspire a new generation of donors along the way.

We believe that the health of our community is vital for its success & use digital campaigns and in-person events to amplify all the reasons why Black blood matters!

Sickle cell is the fastest-growing genetic condition in the UK, and over 90% of the 15,000 people living with it are Black. Many rely on regular blood transfusions to stay healthy, but the best matches come from donors of the same ethnicity.

One specific blood subtype, Ro, is especially important for treating sickle cell. More than half (56%) of Black blood donors have this subtype, compared to just 2.4% of donors from other backgrounds. Without enough Black donors, it’s harder to find the right match - and that can put lives at risk.

Presently, only 1.5% of UK blood donors are Black. That’s not nearly enough; however you can help fix this. 

Donating blood is quick, easy, and could literally save up to three lives. Plus, you get free snacks - so what’s not to love?

If you’re eligible, why not book an appointment today? Someone out there could be waiting for your lifesaving donation.

Sickle cell is an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become sickle (or half-moon) shaped.

This makes it harder for the red cells to move around the body & they can stick together, blocking blood vessels. 

Symptoms of sickle cell include episodes of excruciating pain (known as crises), anaemia & organ damage. 

Anyone can have sickle cell, but it predominantly affects people from African & Caribbean backgrounds.

Several treatments are available to help manage or treat sickle cell, one of which involves receiving regular blood transfusions every 4 to 6 weeks. As this process requires much more blood than other types of transfusion, it's presently the leading reason we need more Black blood donors!

By increasing the number of active Black blood donors, we can collectively ensure that there's a sufficient supply of well-matched blood available for when people in our community urgently need it.

Video: Sickle Cell Explained 

Giving blood is quick & easy! 

Typically the whole process takes less than 1 hour & follows 4  simple steps: 

1. A quick health check looking at your travel, medical & sexual history.

2. An iron test (a small drop of blood is taken via a little pin prick to your finger)

3. Donate blood (which typically takes 5-8mins)

4. Relax & enjoy a few snacks knowing you’ve just done something amazing!

Check out this short animation which takes you through the donation process step by step.

Every time you go to give blood, a quick iron test is performed to check your haemoglobin level. This is done by taking a small drop of blood via a little pin prick to your finger. 

To ensure that your haemoglobin will not drop below normal after your donation, NHSGiveBlood sets the haemoglobin cut off level fairly high.

If your levels are below this cut off on the day of your donation, unfortunately you won’t be able to donate on that occasion.  Instead you’ll be asked to wait at least 3 months before your next donation to allow your haemoglobin to reach a higher level.

Whilst it may feel slightly anti-climatic,  remember it’s to ensure your safety & in our eyes you’re still amazing just for making the attempt!  

Preparation is key, so eating lots of iron-rich foods in the lead up to your donation should help decrease the chances of this happening.

A full donation is 470ml i.e enough blood to save 3 lives without compromising your health or safety!

It’ll all be back soon though. Your body makes about 2 million new red cells every second, so it only takes a few weeks to build up stores of them again.

Preparation is key. In the days leading up to your donation you’ll receive reminders from NHSGiveBlood who’ll let you know how to best prepare for your donation.

Generally, if you follow these steps (also listed further down this page) it’ll help make sure that your donation experience is as pleasant, safe & straightforward as possible!

After your donation, you’ll be good to continue on with your life as normal. No need to take time off work or cancel any plans - just avoid alcohol & strenuous exercise for the remainder of the day! 

Should you happen to feel any type of way immediately after your donation (e.g. a bit light headed), the super friendly donation staff will be on hand to tend to you. Again, preparation is key & will help to avoid this!

Yes! In England, once your blood donation arrives at its destination you’ll be sent a text message telling you the name of the hospital your blood will make a difference at!

Every donation helps to save up to THREE lives! 

Meaning you could single handedly help to save 9 - 12 lives each & every year as a regular donor!

Giving blood saves lives & your donation can be used for a variety of reasons!

Around two thirds of the blood donated in England is used to treat medical conditions including sickle cell, cancer & other blood disorders. 

The remaining third is used in surgery & emergencies including childbirth.

Here are a few amazing real life stories highlighting how your donation can make a difference:

• Chanel 

• Solomon & Zamzam

• Shalona

Most people who are aged between 17 and 66, are fit and healthy and weigh between 50kg and 158kg (7st 12lbs and 25st) can give blood!

To ensure your safety and the safety of the recipient of your donation, sometimes you may have to wait a few months before you’re able to donate. 

Common Reasons & The Period Of Time You Should Wait Before Donating:

• Tattoos/Piercing - 4 months 

• Travel - from 0 to 6 months depending on the county (check your destination here )

• Taking medication - 14 days 

• Vaccination - 7 days 

• Infection - 14 days after a full recovery (check specific health conditions here)

You can also use this quick questionnaire to check you’re eligible!

Yes! You can still give blood if you carry the sickle cell trait.

Please ensure you mention this info when you attend your donation. 

Reference: NHSGiveBlood (here)

To make sure it’s safe to give blood & for patients to receive donated blood, you are unable to donate blood if:

• You are HIV positive

• You are a hepatitis B carrier

• You are a hepatitis C carrier

• You are HTLV positive

• You have ever had or been treated for syphilis

• You have ever injected, or been injected with, drugs; even a long time ago or only once. This includes body-building drugs and injectable tanning agents. You may be able to give if a doctor prescribed the drugs. Please check with us to make sure

For more information visit Give Blood’s ‘Can I Give Blood?’ page. 

Yes, yes and 100% yes! After your first donation you’ll find out your blood type and if you have the RO subtype. 

Along with this information, you’ll also find out the demand for your specific blood type and receive a text message to tell you the name of the hospital your donation will help make a difference at!

Everyone has a blood type as well as a subtype, so having the Ro subtype does not mean there’s a problem with your blood.

As mentioned in our ‘Why Does Black Blood Matter?’ section, the Ro subtype is a rare blood type more commonly found in people from African-Caribbean heritage.

Because of this, it’s particularly important that there are enough blood donors with this Ro subtype to ensure that well-matched blood is available to treat those in our community who have sickle cell & are more likely to have this subtype.  

This is why Black blood really matters!

Men can give blood every 12 weeks & women can give blood every 16 weeks.

In England there are 23 main donation venues & thousands of pop-up venues spread across towns and cities!

These pop-up venues are hosted in a variety of buildings - from community buildings & sport centres, to hotels & football stadiums.

Search your location here to find your nearest donation spot. 

Registering as a donor is quick & easy!

To register, follow this link & click the green ‘Register’ button on the bottom left hand side. 

By registering with NHSGiveBlood’s Digital Service you’ll be able to:

• Find out where you can donate and book an appointment

• View, change or cancel appointments

• Update your personal details

• View your blood group (after your first donation)

• Use the NHSGiveBlood app (Android download / Apple download )

Once you’ve registered as a donor & created an online account, you’ll be able to book an appointment online or via the NHSGiveBlood app (Android download / Apple download ).

To book, sign in to your online account & find an appointment.  

A number of appointments can be booked in advance. If you are unable to book now, then please try for a later date. 

You can also use your online account to:

• Find out where you can donate and book an appointment

• View, change or cancel appointments

• Update your personal details

• View your recent donation history within the last 5 years

In the lead up to your first donation,  NHSGiveBlood will text you with lots of tips on how to prepare for your first donation to make sure it’s as pleasant, safe & straightforward as possible!

Top Tips For Preparing For Your Donation

• Check you can give blood using NHSGiveBlood’s interactive questionnaire

• Eat regularly before donating & ensure your diet contains foods rich in iron

• Drink plenty of fluid in the days prior to your donation 

• Avoid alcohol, vigorous exercise & heavy lifting on the day of your donation plus before & after you’ve donated

• Wear something that short/no sleeves or with loose sleeves that can be rolled up past your elbows

• Bring a book or queue some music to listen to whilst you donate

• Sleep well the night before your donation (approx. 7-9hours)

• Watch this video for more tips & advice!

If you ever need to cancel a donation appointment please give at least 3 days’ notice so that your appointment can be given to another donor. 

You can easily cancel or reschedule your existing appointments by signing in to your online account or using the NHSGiveBlood app.

There are a number of reasons why talking about blood donation in our community can be a little challenging.

From our experience & research, the 5 most common reasons are typically:

• Cultural Norms - Blood donation isn’t currently seen as ‘part of our culture’ or ‘something we do’. Despite the number of Black blood donors rising, though sometimes it’s not always obvious to see who’s a donor and who’s not.

• Negative Associations - Although blood transfusions quite literally save lives, in African-Caribbean culture blood is more commonly linked to death & black magic.

• Distrust & Fear - There are many misconceptions about blood donation, how donations are used & why there’s a specific need for Black blood donors. These, coupled with the underlying distrust of government institutions in the UK, tend to lead people to stay clear of blood donation altogether often to the detriment of those within our communities who rely on regular & well-matched blood transfusions.

• Stigma - Unfortunately there has been a problematic stigma tied to sickle cell which has been passed down from generations to generation. As sickle cell is one of the key reasons why Black blood matters SO much, the lack of conversations that occur in our community due to this stigma hinders progressive discussions about what we can do as a community to help those who have sickle cell i.e. by donating blood!

• Lack of Awareness - More often than not, people simply just don’t know why there’s a need for more Blood donors, how to become a donor or what the donation process involves.  

Black Blood Matters (UK) was independently founded by Georgelene Elliott in September 2019, shortly after completing a first-class dissertation with the same name.

Since its launch, the initiative has been supported by volunteer blood donation advocates, community organisations and has recently secured funding from the NHS Blood and Transplant to bring some exciting ideas to life!

In addition to donating blood, there are 3 key ways you can get involved & support the health of our community!

Amplify 

Whether you have 100 followers or 100k followers, absolutely everyone has a platform or network of people through which they can create meaningful change.

Help us spread the message about the urgent need for more Black blood donors by sharing our content & educating those around you!

Collaborate 

We’re always looking for new & exciting ways of addressing the important issue at hand. 

If you’d like to offer your creative skills or have a collaborative proposal in mind - we’d love to hear from you! 

Send us an Instagram DM or email & we’ll be in touch!

Volunteer

We have a few fun in-person events up our sleeves & could always do with some spare hands to assist us when they happen. 

If you’re passionate, proactive & keen to get involved, send us an Instagram DM or email & we’ll let you know how you could fit it to the plans!

There are so many organisations committed to raising awareness about sickle cell & the importance of blood donation in the African-Caribbean community.

Here are a few we love & think you should support too!

• Sickle Cell Society + Give Blood Spread Love 

• UnsickleMyCells 

• TSS (The Sound of Sickle) 

• WANTS  (We Are Not The Same)

• We Are Donors London

• ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust)