Monday 7th April 2008
A significant number of eligible colleagues at Bank of Scotland Corporate's Aberdeen office has given blood today. In a mass donation organised in conjunction with the Blood Transfusion Service, 64 people rolled up their sleeves and did their bit to help alleviate the current blood shortage.
Only 3 tea-spoonfuls of blood are required to save the life of a premature baby – today Bank of Scotland Corporate staff gave almost 64pints. This will be hugely important in helping to save the lives of young and old people who are ill in the North East, and the blood given today will be available for use within 24 hours.
Steve Rae, the head of Bank of Scotland Corporate's Real Estate team in Aberdeen, organised the donation on the Bank's behalf. Steve and Lynne Willdigg from Aberdeen's Blood Transfusion Service arranged for the necessary equipment to be taken to the Bank's office in Albyn Place and staff lined up to donate.
Commenting, Steve Rae said:
"Giving blood is such an important thing for fit and healthy people to do, especially at a time when there are shortages in the system. There can be no better reward for a few minutes of your time than the knowledge that you could have saved a life. It's really important that companies like Bank of Scotland Corporate give something backto the people and communities that serve us so well, and this is a great way to do it."
Lynne Willdigg MSc, Donor Services & Recruitment Manager of the Blood Transfusion Service in Aberdeen, added:
"We're so grateful for what Steve and the rest of the team at Bank of Scotland Corporate have done today. Each donation can be split into 3 parts, therefore nearly 200 lives have been saved or improved by the staff donating today and they should be extremely proud of that! Like the rest of Scotland, the North East desperately needs more people to give blood in order to save the lives of those most at risk. I'd urge other businesses to follow Bank of Scotland Corporate's example."
Notes to Editors:
Bank of Scotland Corporate, part of HBOS plc, has a reputation for excellence in the provision of corporate finance, delivering innovative funding solutions across a range of markets. With experience across many areas of corporate finance, including specialist teams covering Commercial Business, Real Estate, Joint Ventures, Integrated Finance, Structured Property Finance, Infrastructure Finance and Housing Finance, Bank of Scotland can draw on an expert pool of professionals with proven track records. Bank of Scotland provides funding to more Management Buy-Outs than any other bank in both the UK and Europe and is now recognised as the top UK arranger for PFI/PPP deals. Bank of Scotland Corporate employs around 9,000 employees. Total lending at December 2007 stood at £109.3 billion.
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service is the specialist provider of transfusion medicine in Scotland supplying high quality blood, tissues, products and services. SNBTS works with communities, hospitals and professionals to ensure that the donor's gift is used wisely and effectively for the benefit of patients.
