It may be “very nearly an armful”, as comedian Tony Hancock once famously put it, but almost 70 Highland Council staff queued up to give blood yesterday.
Staff, officials and councillors rolled up their sleeves during the tranfusion service’s latest visit to the local authority’s Inverness headquarters to ensure a healthy stock is maintained for hospital use.
A recent switch to a system of largely pre-booking appointments for donations resulted in a steady flow of volunteers.
Among them was Jo Chamberlain, 33, from Nairn, who works with the council’s care and learning team.
She said: “I think it’s incredibly important. People need blood. I’m B-negative and I’ve been told there’s not a huge amount of the population with that type.
“I haven’t ever needed the transfusion service myself, but I’d like to think that if I did, it was there. I’d urge anyone to donate.”
Overseeing the session, senior charge nurse Gillian Docherty said: “We aim to keep a stock of four to six days and we’re sitting on about that at the moment for most blood groups.
“There are ongoing operations, people having cancer treatments. There are always accidents, blood’s a lifesaving product so it’s vital we keep a stock for patients.
“We’ve got a full grid today of 68 council donors, which is excellent.”
The service in the north of Scotland has welcomed almost 17,000 donors at sessions since April.
In those six months, more than 1,700 new donors have signed up in the “northern arch” of Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee.
However, barely 4% (126,471) of Scotland’s eligible population – 17 to 17-year-olds – gives blood.