They rolled up their sleeves at the Port Macquarie Donor Centre on Thursday October 20 to urge more people to donate blood.

Port Macquarie needs nearly 50 new donors this month to help bolster blood stocks following a cold and flu driven blood donation slump.

Cold and flus resulted in a seasonal drop-off in donor numbers which extended into September, leaving fewer donors booked-in with appointments in October and beyond.

The Blood Service has launched the ‘Hunt for Red in October’ campaign to highlight the need for new donors.

Blood Service spokesperson Felix Palmer said one in three people would need blood in their lifetime yet only one in 30 donated, making October’s hunt for red a serious matter.

“We’re appealing to donors who might not have been able to give in winter to come back and start giving blood again,” he said.

“We’d also like to extend the invitation to anyone else who is thinking about giving blood.

“It only takes an hour to do and you can save three lives with every donation.

“More importantly, you’ll be saving the lives of cancer patients, road trauma victims, pregnant mothers, unborn babies and people undergoing emergency surgeries.”

In Australia there is a particular need for 100,000 new donors this financial year to help service the growing need for plasma-based medicines that thousands of Australian patients depend on for quality of life.

Key barriers to people coming forward to donate that were identified by blood services around the world include:

To make an appointment visit donateblood.com.au or call 13 14 95.