• People can make a real difference to the lives of others by giving blood. You can start giving blood when you are 17 and if you weigh over 50kg (7st 12lbs).
• Your body has around 4–6 litres (8.5–12.5 pints) of blood.
• A person can recover from losing a third of their blood, but if they lose half they will die. This is one reason why hospitals need a constant and reliable supply of blood to carry out operations.
• Blood transfusions are also used to treat illnesses like anaemia, and as part of cancer treatments when people can’t produce enough healthy blood cells.
• Out of all the people who can give blood, only 5% actually do.
• Regular donors give blood every 16 weeks (about every four months).
• On a normal day there is only five or six days’ supply of blood in our blood banks.

Read more facts about blood and donation.