On the 6th of December, the St Joseph band club will once again literally be turned into a blood donation centre. The general public is invited to take part in this activity and donate blood. The target is to start holding this event every December on a yearly basis.

The blood donation drive will again be held in collaboration with the Malta National Blood Transfusion and the Red Cross Gozo Branch. By donating a pint of blood you may save three lives. Imagine the three people you are saving. Imagine their hopes and dreams, picture their lifetime of experiences - and share in their joy.

A reservation can be made by simply sending an SMS message with your name on 99459426

To qualify, a person must be aged between 18 and 60 years; 17 year olds must have a parent's / guardian consent and up to 65 must be regular donor. Females can donate every four months; Males can donate every three months. A person must weight at least 50kg (110 lb).

Blood donation is about about a few minutes of your time. It's About Life.

Quick Facts:
- Blood donation is safe.
- Giving blood will not decrease your health.
- One or two serious accidents are often enough to drain our blood stocks.
- Over 300,000 people in Malta can donate blood but barely 5% do.
- Nearly 300 grievous traffic accidents occur in Malta every year, 17 of which are fatal.
- For a sick person who needs transfusion, blood may be the difference between life and death.
- Our body replenishes controlled blood loss by itself.
- You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
- About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
- Approximately 40 to 50 units of blood are needed daily to meet the demands from hospitals.
- Scrupulous tests are carried out on every single donation.

More information can be found on http://www.health.gov.mt/nbts/faqs.htm