Join WSA member Active4Blood in supporting NHS Blood Service to save lives

Welsh Sports Association (WSA) member Active4Blood is dedicated to supporting the NHS Blood and Transplant Service, engaging with the sport and leisure community to encourage blood donation.

Their work centres around the ability of sport to make impactful change, harnessing that power to promote blood donation and save lives across the country.

Every day, the NHS needs over 5,000 blood donations to treat patients in need, from accident victims to those undergoing cancer treatment or living with blood disorders. Yet, fewer people are signing up to donate.

Here in Wales, we need 300 donors a day to come forward, particularly younger people. That’s where Active4Blood, and its sport-specific campaign Sports4Blood, step in.

“Sport brings people together. It inspires passion, teamwork, and action — just like donating blood,” commented Julian Wilde-Davies, a Founder and Trustee of the charity.

“Sports clubs really are the heart of every community. With Sports4Blood, we’re using the power of these sporting communities to drive awareness and life-saving action.

“It’s about making donation part of our everyday culture, just like playing football on a Sunday or going for a swim at the local pool.”

The impact of Active4Blood’s drive has been clear to see already.

Beddau RFC is one club to have engaged with the charity, organising a bike ride and a hike to galvanise collective action. The club’s community got together to take part in a 100-mile cycle ride, as well as a hike in which participants walked nearly 40 miles.

In all, their events generated 135 donors.

These are just two examples of how organisations and clubs can engage with their communities and raise awareness of this vital issue.

This year, Active4Blood are launching four flagship initiatives into four sports under the banner of Sports4Blood, looking to engage with NGBs, sporting communities and fans to raise awareness of the urgent need for blood donors.

Without the need to donate money, there are so many opportunities for organisations and clubs to get behind this vital issue:

Rugby4Blood – Clubs and fans can come together for dedicated match days, with blood donor vans outside stadiums and rugby legends calling for more donors.

Football4Blood – From 5-a-side pitches to Premier League academies, players can pledge to give blood and encouraging supporters to do the same.

Swim4Blood – Community swim clubs could plan events that can promote donation drives, with leisure centres across the UK turning red for awareness days.

Golf4Blood – Golf Clubs can create events/ tournaments that support blood donor recruitment and provide info on how to register and donate.

The Sports4Blood project is seeking backing from NGBs and ambassadors from the sporting world, including grassroots clubs, athletes, and local heroes.

Active4Blood is a WSA member harnessing the power of sport to support the NHS Blood Service to save lives.

The WSA encourages all members to collaborate with Active4Blood in order to spread one crucial message: donate blood to save lives.

How You Can Help

Follow @Active4Blood and the #Sports4Blood hashtag for events, stories, and ways to get involved.

Share your own donor journey and tag your sports club to spread the word.

Get in touch with the WSA team so we can connect you!

Whether you’re a rugby player, a football fan, a swimmer, or a weekend golfer — this is your chance to be a hero off the pitch. One hour of your time can save up to three lives.

As a community, sport and leisure can tackle the blood shortage and give hope to thousands.