Hansard

I thank the members who supported the motion, and I thank the Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy and Sport and the Government for engaging with me on the matter and for offering to meet representatives from Give Blood 4 Good. I declare that I am a regular blood donor and that my next blood donation will be my 19th.

It is an honour to lead the debate and to shine a light on the brilliant work of Give Blood 4 Good, or GB4G. Building on the concerns that I have previously raised in the chamber about the future of blood donation and the essential role of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, I return to the issue to highlight the inspiring work of Give Blood 4 Good, which is mobilising the next generation of donors. I thank Hanna Smith and Martha Greenbank for founding in 2019 what is a remarkable charity in memory of Hanna’s brother, Patrick Smith, an Edinburgh student whose life was tragically cut short at just 21.

Patrick was a proper champion. From the day that he turned 17—the youngest age at which someone can donate blood—he was first in line, with his sleeves rolled up, encouraging everyone around him to do the same. After his sudden death in 2019, his family grieved, but they also built a lasting foundation. GB4G was created to carry Patrick’s passion forward by inspiring more young people to donate blood and, in doing so, save lives.

Let me paint a picture. At the very first blood drive that was held in Patrick’s name, more than 150 people turned up. That is a big deal because, across the United Kingdom, most 18 to 24-year-olds have never donated, with fear given as one of the biggest reasons why they have not.

Only a small percentage of adults give blood regularly, and, in Scotland alone, we lost more than 13,000 donors in 2021, in the wake of the pandemic. That kind of drop puts serious strain on the national health service, and that is where GB4G comes in, as it makes it easier to show up, feel safe, and get involved.

Blood donation keeps our NHS going. One donation can make the difference between life and death for someone in urgent need. Every donation can save or improve up to three lives. I ask members to think about that: three families given hope—whether it is a mum in labour, a crash survivor or someone battling cancer or sickle-cell disease, that matters. We are talking about real people facing real emergencies, and our hospitals depend on that generosity every day. When blood runs low, operations are pushed back and lives are put at risk.

Since GB4G launched, its donors have saved or improved the lives of an estimated 16,362 people, and that impact continues. Just this week, there was a local blood donation drive in my constituency. Such local actions make a meaningful difference to the trajectory of blood donation across the country.

At the heart of the group’s work is the young ambassador programme—YAP—which is genuinely inspiring. Piloted in schools such as the Glasgow Academy, it gets young people fired up about donation before they are even old enough to give blood. Through e-learning about blood types and transfusion needs, and hands-on activities, those students can become real advocates. In the pilot, 15 secondary 5 and S6 pupils turned their school into a hub of awareness. The programme is also about building practical skills, including leadership and teamwork, allowing young people to grow and make a real difference. Those young ambassadors walk away with CV gold and are saving lives along the way.

The work does not stop there. GB4G’s Bloody Brilliant Uni Squad secured nearly 1,000 pledges last year, 64 per cent of which were from first-time donors. One campaign, for a young woman who needed more than 100 transfusions during leukaemia treatment, gathered 230 pledges, including 116 new donors. That effort potentially saved 690 lives.

We should also recognise Ollie Smith, Patrick’s brother and a Glasgow Warriors star, who became GB4G’s first official ambassador in May 2024. He is out there visiting schools and putting up social media posts, telling young people that Patrick’s passion was infectious and saying, “Let’s keep it going.”

GB4G is also changing the way that people think about blood donation. In October 2024, it teamed up with WeDonate, a platform that offers perks and rewards to regular donors through brand partnerships. That does not just provide nice extras; it helps fund youth-focused programmes such as YAP and the Bloody Brilliant Uni Squad and, more important, it turns donation into a habit rather than a one-off act. As co-founder Martha Greenbank put it,

“We’re making giving blood as normal as recycling—because lives depend on it.”

The need could not be clearer. Right now, 55 per cent of active blood donors in Scotland are aged 45 and over. The youngest age group, 17 to 24, remains the least represented. The numbers are stark: 70 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds have never donated, and just 11 per cent give blood regularly. That gap is not just a statistic; it is a real risk to the future of our blood supply.

The core objective here is to work to increase all numbers. There are important signs of hope in relation to the youngest group. Thanks to effective targeted education and outreach, almost 1,000 young people pledged to donate through university programmes in the past academic year. Many of them were first-time donors who might never have considered it before. That kind of progress shows what is possible with the right approach.

In our own communities, the opportunity is even greater. Rolling out YAP in schools could create a long-term pipeline of donors—people who understand the importance of donation early on and carry that commitment into adulthood.

Our maternity wards, accident and emergency departments and treatment centres rely on a steady supply of blood. We cannot afford to leave that to chance. By investing in education and making blood donation a normal part of life, GB4G is laying the foundation for a more resilient system—one that does not leave anyone behind.

However, to make that progress sustainable, we need a clear and proactive commitment from Government. Therefore, I call on ministers to work with GB4G and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to formally integrate the young ambassador programme into the school curriculum across Scotland. I appreciate that that is not within the remit of the minister who will respond to this debate, but I believe that early education is key. We need to encourage blood donation as a civic responsibility as well as a medical one.

Further, the Government should support and expand youth-led blood donation initiatives with dedicated funding, ensuring that programmes such as the Bloody Brilliant Uni Squad and community blood drives can scale up and reach more people. That means providing resources for outreach, marketing and partnership building with local authorities and educational institutions.

I also urge the Scottish Government to promote blood donation as a public health priority, with a national campaign that targets younger demographics directly, dispelling fears and misconceptions, and aiming to make donating blood a routine part of life, where that is appropriate for the individual—I have not mentioned this yet, but I acknowledge that, obviously, there are people who cannot donate blood.

Local councils and public bodies should be encouraged to facilitate donation opportunities by providing accessible venues and time-off policies for workers to give blood. The Scottish Government can lead by example by ensuring that its employees have the flexibility to donate during working hours.

In closing, I invite all members to visit giveblood4good.org, pledge to donate, encourage schools in their area to join YAP and take the message back to their communities, friends, families and constituents. Let us honour Patrick not just with words but with action—donate, educate and save lives. In Scotland, generosity runs deep. Starting today, let us keep that spirit—and the hope that it brings—flowing.