Shop signs, street signs and landmarks are removing the letters A, O and B from their signs in order to symbolise the donors’ blood groups that are needed to maintain the much needed supplies in Britain. This fascinating campaign is to raise awareness of National Blood Week and has swept across the UK, causing letters to disappear from street signs and shop signs across the country. It’s all part of a campaign launched by Give Blood NHS which has been designed to encourage people to donate.
Decline in People Donating Blood
The head of PR at Give Blood NHS, Andrea Ttofa told Buzzfeed News: “There’s a decline year-on-year of the number of new people donating, and more than half of current donors are over 45. It’s important to take action now in order to maintain a safe supply of blood for the future,” she continued. “We’re hoping many more individuals and companies will get behind it to drive thousands of people to be new donors.”
National Blood Week runs from 8 – 14 June, and the campaign hopes to build awareness of the shortage and encourage the public to donate blood. They’ve called the campaign #MissingType, and even the Prime Minister’s official residence has become D wning Street. As makers of shop signs Sheffield, we think it’s a great idea to show support for such a worthy cause in a way that will be seen by huge numbers of people and help to raise awareness.
According to recent statistics released by the NHS, 120,000 fewer people started donating blood in 2014/15 compared to 2004/5. The NHS says it needs 204,000 new volunteers this year to ensure the blood supplies continue to remain at the same level in the future. The assistant director for donor services Jon Latham said: “We simply can’t ignore the fact that there has been a stark reduction in the number of new donors coming forward – a trend seen across the world. While we can meet the needs of patients now, it’s important we strengthen the donor base for the future.”
Shop Sign Makers in Sheffield
Although we’ve not noticed any shop signs Sheffield having their letters removed, it’s certainly an interesting campaign that is bound to get the attention of the general public, especially with large companies such as Odeon, Green and Blacks, and Waterstones on board.